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A HISTORT 



T 



OF 






OLD POIt(T COMFORT 



AKD 



Fortress Monroe, Va, 



FBOM 1608 TO JANUARY 1st, 1881, 



WITH SKETCHES OF HAMPTON NORMAL SCHOOL, NATIONAL 
SOLDIERS^ HOME, AND THE HYGEIA HOTEL, 



By J. Arnold Dalby 




NOKFOLK, VA 

liANDMAEK STEAM BOOK AND JOB PEESSES. 

1881. 



-x 



Entered according to Act of Congress in the year one tlioiisand 
eight hundred and eighty-one, by J. Aknold Dalby, in the Office 
of the Librarian of Congress, at Yv^ashington, D, C. 



C-^ D\ 



PREFACE. 



i 



I make no individual pretentions to literary ex- 
cellence in this little publication, the credit of origi- 
nating, which m one sense, is due to the enterprise 
of the Baltimore Evening Pie raid. I was gener- 
ously aided with material for the letters, as they 
appeared, and had no time then, as I have no time 
now, for symmetrical arrangement of materiaL 
But I can claim, with a clear conscience, I think, 
that this little book gives the best coherent history 
of Old Point Comfort which has yet been offered to 
the public. 

I have acknowledged my obligations in the body 
of the book for aid extended ; but it will not be out 
of place to renew my thanks to Mr. James Barron 
Hope, Major-General Getty, Commodore Parks, 'W. 
J. Bodell, (Landmark correspondent. Old Point), 
Major Cochrane, U. S. M. C, Adjutant Chase, U. S. 
A., General Groner, and Mr. Phoebus, all of whom 
have aided me in preparing my letters. 

Asking forbearance of the critics, in advance, be- 
cause of acknowledged imperfections, I submit the 
following pages to the public with the hope that 
tlie}^ m-afy- be received with toleration, if not kind- 
ness. J. Arnold Dalby. 

Norfolk, V<i., May 2nd, 1881. 



EESPECTFULLY INSCKIBED 



THAT SPOTLESS GENTLEMAN, SPLENDID SOLDIER, AND 
HONEST PATRIOT, 

■ MAJOR-GE]OTEEAL W. S. HAI^COCK, 



AS A SLIGHT TOKEN OF THE ESTEEM AND ADMIRATION OF 

THE AUTHOR. 



A HISTORY 



01(1 Point Comfort and Fortress Iodfoo, !a. 



The following outline and sketcli of the history 
of Old Point was comprised in a series of letters to 
the Baltimore Evening Herald,* and are now repro- 
duced with a few necessary corrections. Under date 
of April the 10th, 1881, my contributions began as 
follows : 

OLD POINT COMFORT, KECCOUGHTAN, NEWPORTS NEWS. 

The instructions of the [Baltimore] Herald to col- 
lect material and write out a "History of Old Point 
Comfort" found me more willing than able to under- 
take the task; but, acting on the maxim that where 
there is a will there is a way, I have been able to 
collect an array of facts which I can coniidentl}^ as- 
sert have never before been gathered in any one 
publication. I have been aided in my researches 

* The Evening Herald of April the 11th, 1881, had the following editorial 
announcement : 

'•The descriptive history of Old Point, Va., the well-known Summer resort, 
compiled by our Norfolk coi respondent, assisted by Captain James Barron 
Hope, 'Centennial poet,' and General Getty, the commandant at Fortress Mon- 
roe, will be read with a great deal of interest, as it has never before been 
chronicled. It will continue in Tbe Evening Herald until the important fea- 
tures of its history have all been presented." 



6 A HISTORY OF 

by access to valuable State papers and other works 
in the possession of a gentleman of this citv, well 
known to the literary public, namely, Mr. James 
Barron Hope, to whom my th^mks are hereby ex- 
tended. 

I am aware that for the general reader much of 
the historical memorandum which enters into my 
introduction may be uninteresting; but the facts I 
am about to set forth have a special value for mili- 
tary readers and persons of a studious turn; and 
without them your instructions to prepare "a his- 
tory" of Point Comfort — or Old Point, as it is com- 
monly called, could not be properly carried out. 

"To begin at the beginning," the etymologj^ of 
the name is as follows : 

Xear this place the first settlers encountered a se- 
vere storm. From the fury of this they took refuge 
(probably in Mill creek) under the lee of the sand 
beach, and finding protection there from the vio- 
lence of the gale gave it the name it still bears be- 
cause it "put them in good comfort." 

On the 6th of June, 1610, Lord de la Warr wrote 
from this haven that he "met with cold comfort," 
alluding to the then condition of the unhappy set- 
tlers. 

In later explorations I^ew Point Comfort was 
found in Matlicws county, an-l so named for the 



OLD POIXT COMFORT AND FORTERSS MONROE. 7 

reason controlling the nomenclature in the first in- 
stance. The 'New Point necessarily implied an Old 
Point, and hence it is that to-day we find both these 
names in nse, and the history of these gives ns in a 
condensed shape some idea of the hardships of the 
early explorers, for in a short space of time and dis- 
tance they encountered two severe gales of wind and 
dangerous commotions of the waters. 

On Smith's "Map of Virginia and the Virginian 
Sea," 1606, as he called the Atlantic bounding our 
coast, I find that he had marked the place as 
"Poynt Comfort." I perceive that Hampton, which 
has a romantic history but little known, is laid down 
as Keccoughtan, and that I^ewports' !N'ews,the deep- 
water terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio Rail- 
road, is designated by the long-forgotten name of 
'Ternt Hope." 

In the map attached to Miss Magill's History of 
Virginia, it is improperly abbreviated to Pt. Hope, 
which would naturally be read Point. 

Pernt, I think, without any violence of presump- 
tion, may be taken to be a corruption of the Celtic 
pen (promontory). The original of this map is still 
in existence, in a good state of preservation, in the 
British State Paper Office, as v/e are told by Mr. 
IsToel Sainsburj^, who has seen and examined it in 
the course of his researches. It was also in the 



8 A HISTORY OF 

second Charter of Virginia described as Point or 
Cape Comfort. So much for the name. 

In the map of Fry & Jeiferson, of 1775, (Fry was 
at one time tlie commanding officer of George 
Washington) the orthography of the Point is given 
as we now have it, and Pernt Hope lias disappeared, 
and been succeeded by l^ewports Xews. 

The present topographical outline of Old Point, 
is that of a long peninsula of sand sparsely wooded 
in places, and partly separated from the main land 
of Elizabeth City county, by a wide sheet of water 
known as Mill creek, over whicli a bridge and 
causeway make a road to tlie fortress. The juncture 
of the peninsula with the body of the land to the 
West is at a place known as Fox Hill, and there 
seems to have been some liumor in the nomencla- 
ture, as the country thereabouts is of a flat and Hol- 
land-like monotony. But, in point of fact, what is 
now a peninsula was originally an island, certainly 
so, as much as Jamestown was, and this is shown by 
the petition of William Lowry, an ancient surve3'or 
of Elizabeth City county. That gentleman in 1708 
informed the Governor that in 1704 he had surveyed 
the tract of land called "Point Comfort Island," 
and for this service be claimed the " sum of 584 
pounds of tobacco." 

The appearance of the country up towards Bach 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 9 

River Liglit, I am told, indicates that the descrip- 
tion given hy the surveyor in 1708 was accurate, 
and that the ^'Poynt" was originally an island, 
crowned with well-wooded sand hills, as we gather 
from some of the descriptions given in the early 
days of the colony. It is with this place in connec- 
tion with the military liistory of the country that I 
am instructed to deal, and pursuing this investiga- 
tion I find that in 1608 Captain RadclyiFe reported 
to the Earl of Salisbury that they were " raising a for- 
tification upon Point Comfort," and to this he adds, 
"the wood is so thick and the labor to prepare the 
ground so great that the directors of [the] business 
ought to send a sufficient supply of victuals for one 
year." 

In 1611 I find that a " Spanish caravalV^ (the bad 
Spanish is in the original) sent ashore at the fort to 
obtain a pilot, whereupon the boat's crew were made 
prisoners by the Commandant. And this brings me 
to an explanation of the numerous forts which were 
planted along all the water courses of the colon}^ 

Before the English the Spaniards had explored the 
Chesapeake. This they called Madre de Aguas, which 
is but the Spanish translation of the Indian name, 
which means Mother of Waters. It was also known 
to them as the Bay of Santa Maria, and an old Span- 



10 A HISTORY OF 

isli map includes all Xortli America in Terra Florida. 
Spain insisted on her territorial rights for many 
years through her diplomatic agents in London and 
her ministers in Madrid. There Avere constant irri- 
tations also with France, and Argall made (1614) 
his cruel descent on Acadia, after winch lie brought 
some of his prisoners to Jamestown. On his return 
to Virginia from this barbarous expedition he sailed 
up the Hudson and compelled a surrender of the 
Dutch ; and later in our history the sturdy Dutch- 
men returned the compliment by capturing ships in 
James river laden with tobacco for English ports, 
and, finally, in those days the seas were swarming 
with rovers, who had very vague ideas of the rights 
of property on land and water. 

In further illustration of this state of affairs it may 
be mentioned that to the Spanish mind in 1557, and 
long after, Terra Florida comprehended all the ter- 
ritory from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean; 
and Louis XIII, of France, granted Madame de 
Gurcheville all the lands of !N'orth America from the 
St. Lawrence to Florida. 

The result of these complications was, that at first 
the colony stood on its defense against those who 
might approach by sea as well as against the sav- 
ages of the forest. At Keccoughtan, or Hampton, 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 11 

two forts were erected soon after the settlement, and 
the Soldiers' Home stands on a plantation once 
known as "Fortfield," from the work there located 
more than two centuries and a half ago. The other 
was on ''Little England," the old Barron estate, and 
these defenses were known as Forts Henry and 
Charles. 

At the time of the departure of Lord de la Warr, 
Jamestown and Point Comfort were the chief places 
of the colony. In collecting these facts I have con- 
sulted the Colonial State Papers, English and Amer- 
ican ; but here I shall rely for a brief space on the 
acts of the Virginia Assembly as naturally fuller 
than the abstracts given by other authorities. And 
this brings me to a seeming contradiction in my 
narrative, for in 1629 it was decided by the Colonial 
Assembly of Virginia that Captain Samuel Mathews 
should undertake ''the raysing of a ffort at Poynt 
Comfort," and a committee of the Assembly was 
appointed "to compounde and agree" with the said 
Captain Mathews for the building, raising and fin- 
ishing the same; whereas I have stated from the 
record that in 1608 Captain KadclyiFe had reported 
that they were then raising a fort. In this Assembly 
Elizabeth City county had six delegates, and it had 
been decided at a previous session that the "fibrt" 



12 A HISTORY OF 

should "be both a safetie and a reputation unto the 
colony." 

And this explains the apparent discrepancy of 
authorities. The first "fforf had evidently been an 
extemporaneous and slight afi:air; and the contract 
with Mathews was for a more solid and enduring 
structure than that which had given the Spaniard 
such an inhospitable reception in 1611. 

Sir John Harvey, in May, 1629, reported to the 
Privy Council that he hoped by the " next Christ- 
mas" to have the fort at "Point Comfort mounted 
with 12 or 16 pieces of ordnance." That it was oc- 
cupied at or about the time indicated appears to 
have been the fact, and it must have been a place 
of consequence, as the Secretary of tlie Common- 
wealth dated many of his communications from 
Point Comfort to the home government. 

In 1633 the fort was put to civil uses, as in that 
year all incoming vessels were required to report to 
the Commandant in order to have "a sufficient way- 
ter put aborde from the ffort" to remain on board 
her until her arrival " at the port of James Citty." 

The "sinews of war" for the support of the work 
and garrison were derived from a levy of tobacco of 
"64 pounds per poll," and the pay account of the 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 13 

Commandant and his forces is thus set down in an 
ancient statute [16-33] : 

lbs. tob. barrels. 

To the Captayne of the ffort 2,000 and 10 corne 

The Gunner 1,000 and 6 corne 

The Drummer and Porter 1,000 and 6 corne 

For 4 other men each of them 

500 lbs. tobacco and 4 barrels 

of corne , 2,000 and 16 corne 

lbs tob. 6,000 and 38 corne 

Six years after this (1639), Sir Francis Wyatt then 
being Governor, a law, very vague in its shape, and 
altogether of the free-and-easy style of composition, 
was enacted, which appropriated "3 pounds per poll 
(tobacco being understood) to pay a muster master," 
for "the ca^^t. (sic) of the fort and ten guards," and 
"two pounds to be raised next year to build a new 
fort at Point Comfort, and 2 pounds more to rebuild 
a new State house." 

The army then assembled at the fort was not quite 
so big as that of the Grand Duchess of Gerolstein, 
but they were undoubtedly very active as look-outs, 
and the smallness of the number is explained by 
considerations of economy, and the fact that they 
could have reinforcements almost at will from the 



14 A HISTORY OF 

main land, for the military organization of the col- 
ony was of necessity always on a quasi war footing 
in those early days. 



II. 



FROM SIR WILLIAM BERKLEY TO CORNWALLIS AND 
DE GRASSE. 

For the further support of the "ffort" any vessel 
that came under its guns was required to contribute 
a quarter of a pound of powder and the same weight 
of "shott" per ton ; but in 1645 this was increased 
to half a pound of the ''villainous saltpetre," and 
three pounds of ''shot or lead" in the ratio above 
indicated. 

But the work, though built by Captain Mathews 
with greater care than had been used on the first, 
and with the intention to make it a "safetie and rep- 
utation unto the colony," must have been poorly 
done, as we find a tax ordered in 1639 "to build a 
new fort at Point Comfort." It thus appears that this 
structure only lasted between eight and nine years. 

In 1645 it was enacted that the Commandant 
should be paid out of the "quit rents by leases" due 
from j^orthampton county ; but what the value of 
this "salary" was is not disclosed in the statutes. 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 15 

When Charles the Second vrent to war with the 
Dutch some of their vessels made a swoop into 
James river, with which they were familiar, and cap- 
tured several tobacco ships, upon which the Assem- 
bly (in 1667) reciting the above fact as the reason, 
resolved to build fortifications for the defense of all 
the rivers of the colony. 

The colonial idea of military works may be gath- 
ered from the following extracts from the statute of 
1657 : which declares ''that each ifort shall be capa- 
ble of eight greate guns at the least, the walls tenn 
foote high, and towards the river or shipping tenn 
foote thick at least;" and it is fair to infer that ex- 
cept the difference in armament ("twelve or sixteen 
pieces") Poynt Comfort boasted just about such a 
work as is here described. One famihar with For- 
tress Monroe to-day, with its vast extent and heavy 
armament, can contrast it with the ancient work at 
his leisure; and in doing so one learns something of 
the improvement in the art of the military engi- 
neer within the past two centuries on this side of 
the Atlantic. 

In 1679 it was decided to build forts at the heads 
of the great rivers, from which we see that the In- 
dians had been at that date driven well into the in- 
terior, and as these works were abandoned soon 
after (1682) for others further in the wilderness, 



16 A HISTORY OF 

among them Fort Pit, now Pittsburg, it is plain that 
the native warriors had their faces turned, once for 
all, towards the setting sun in search of new hunt- 
ing grounds. 

And now, to sum up the antiquarian part of my 
letter, I do not know any better authority for a gen- 
eral view of the fortifications of the colony than Sir 
"William Berkley, who, in reply to the Lords Com- 
missioners of Plantations, gave the following an- 
swer to one of their questions (1671) bearing upon 
the military condition of Virginia. 

At that date he put the population at 40,000, of 
which 2,000 were "black slaves." The military es- 
tablishment could muster "near eight thousand 
horse," and of the forts (after enumerating them) 
he speaks in very rugged and doubtful English, as 
foDows : "But God knows we have neither skill nor 
ability to make or maintain them; for there is not, 
nor, as far as my inquiry can reach, ever was, one 
inginier in the country, so that we are at contiDual 
charge to repair unskillful and inartificial works of 
that nature. There is not above thirty great and 
serviceable guns ; this we 3'early supply with powder 
and shot as far as our utmost abilities will per- 
mit us." 

And, while on this subject, the "judicious reader" 
of the Herald will pardon mc, I trust, if I bring be- 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 17 

fore him for a moment the picture ot a soldier of 
the colony in the days of Queen Anne. In 1705 
^'every soldier on horse or foot" was to be provided 
with "musket or ifusse, sword, cartouch box and 
ammunition/' and the "horse, saddle, and furniture, 
the carbine, pistolls and sword of every trooper" 
were to be exempt from all seizures or tax of any 
kind. In 1684 a regular army, or "standing force" 
as it wixs named, was called into existence, and the 
men and officers thus organized were known as 
"Rangers." In 1738 a "breast plate" still figured 
in the accoutrements of the horse, while the foot 
were required to have a "bayonet fitted to their 
fiTuses," or in lieu thereof a "cutting sword or cut- 
lass," and both horse and foot were required to keep 
supplied with not less than "one pound of powder 
and four pounds of ball or shott." 

But before returning from this digression to my 
main topic I pause to observe that the military 
strength of the colony as estimated by Berkley [one 
in ^ve of population, and greater than that given by 
Montesquieu as the ratio among the ancient Ro- 
mans, which was one in eight] would seem prepos- 
terous but for the fact that in 1641 it was ordered 
that " all persons above sixteen should bear arms," 
and this renders the estimate less extravairant than 
it seems at first. 
3 



Ig A HISTORY OF 

At the same time (1641) the force at Point Com- 
fort was still to be " maiiit*iined " at "ten guards,'" 
■whereas in 1633, as we have seen, the garrison con- 
sisted of ''the gunner, the drummer and porter, and 
lour men" ready, for certain pounds of tobacco and 
barrels of "corne" to do battle with French, Span- 
iards, or Dutchmen, according to the exigencies of 
the times, and as the case might be. 

This simple colonial establishment was greatly 
improved during the Eevolution, but the process of 
loading small arms then was so slow that the famous 
Colonel Simcoe founded a special mode of meeting 
riilemen on the fact here referred to, holding that 
their first fire was the only effective one they could 
deliver wdien they were vigorously pressed. 

But the ffort had another name ; it w^as called St. 
George, after the patron saint of England, though 
this did not displace that given by Smith, which, in- 
deed, continues to this day to obscure the modern 
and more pretentious title of Fortress Monroe. 

At the end of the seventeenth, or about the begin- 
ning of the eighteenth century a prodigious tide, ac- 
companied by a heavy gale of wind, submerged the 
work, and the then Commander, one of the Barron 
family, w^as compelled to abandon the place in boats. 

When the foundations of the present fortress were 
laid the profile of the old "ftbrt" was discovered, 



•OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 19 

$tnd a sisTnet riiis^ was found bearino- the crest of the 

CI CD O 

Barrens, as is set forth in the Virginia Historical 
Register, then edited by Mr. William Maxwell, who 
was a distinguished citizen of Norfolk. And al- 
though Sir William Berkley declared that they had 
never had an "inginier" in the colony, the fe/Ct that 
for nearlj' three centuries this spot has been looked 
on as one of peculiar strength and strategic value 
shows that the Governor himself was not altogether 
a good "inginier" or a competent critic ; for what 
Barcelona was to Spain in the days of ^Napoleon, as 
is set forth by ]N"apier, Old Point has been to Vir- 
ginia, as was conspicuously shown in the late war of 
Secession. 

The last important reference to the place in "old 
times" connects it with the occupation of Yorktown 
by Lord Cornwallis. Under date of ^ew York, 
July 11th, 1781, Sir Henry Clinton wrote the Earl: 
*'It is the Admiral's and my wish, at all events, to 
hold Old Point Comfort." The Admiral referred to 
was Graves, and on the day following he also wrote 
Cornwallis to urge the occupation of the place and 
the establishment of a battery. 

On the 25th of that month Lieutenant Alexander 
Sunderland, of the Royal Engineers, reported that 
"the ground where the ruins of Fort George lay" 
was not worth occupying, and in support of this 
opinion he gave very good reasons. 



20 A HISTORY OF 

On the 26th a commission of four Captains of the 
British Kavy examined the place and ratified the 
report of Sunderland. 

The interest of this brief narrative of that survey 
is increased by the fact that Lord Cornwallis per- 
sonally took part in it in company "with the Cap- 
tains of the British Navy on this station," and in so 
reporting to Clinton the Earl writes: "It is our 
unanimous opinion that Point Comfort will not an- 
swer the purpose." 

On the 31st of August the Earl makes his last al- 
lusion to the place, and it is full of significance, as 
is seen at a glance. "A lieutenant of the Charon," 
he writes, (she was burnt afterward by the French 
battery on the left of the American line at York), 
who went with an escort of dragoons to Old Point 
Comfort., reports that there are between thirty and 
forty sail within the Capes, mostly vessels of war, 
and some of them very large." 

~^ On the other hand the Comte de Grasse, after a 
council of war, determined, among other things, 
that " a battery of cannon and mortars" should be 
erected, by aid of the allied troops, on Point Com- 
fort." 

Both designs were wise, as might easily be shown 
if I had the space to go into an explanation ; but it 
matters very little, now that the warriors who fought 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 21 

out that old quarrel liave gone to their last muster, 
what reasons controlled them in dealing with that 
piece of ground, which, as I have shown, in a shadowy 
way, has had a long and romantic history, which I 
shall presently follow into the plain, though not un- 
interesting prose of its more recent annals. 

Finally, and to conclude this chapter of my his- 
tory, there is a fact connected with the history of 
Point Comfort which cannot fail to interest your 
Maryland readers, and, though chronologically out 
of place, at the end of this letter, it may, with great 
propriety, make its climax. 

Leonard Calvert, brother of George, Lord Balti- 
more, (or Balamore, according to the old orthogra- 
phy) then dead, and brother, also, of Cecil, his suc- 
cessor, on his arrival in America (27th February, 
1634) to represent that nobleman's interests, first 
landed on the historic spot of which I write. He 
was attended by some twenty gentlemen and two or 
three hundred settlers of the humbler ranks of so- 
ciety, and he put foot on shore with some trepida- 
tion, for his brother George, when once in Virginia, 
for a brief space, had been called on by Governor 
Pott — ''Phoebus Apollo, what a name !" — to take the 
oaths of supremacy and allegiance, which he had 
refused to do.* 



*The following curious fact, from the "Minutes of the Proceedings of the 
Governor and Council of Virginia." is?, perhaps, worth quoting : 

"March 25. 1630, Tho: Tindall to be pillory'd 2 hours forgiving my Lord 
Baltimore the lye and threatening to knock him down." 



22 A HISTORY OF 

But his alarm was unfounded, for tliough the Vir- 
ginians were exasperated at the idea of a dismem- 
berment of their territor}^, Harvey, tlie Governor, 
had been instructed to receive him with "courtes}^ 
and humanity," and he loyally obeyed his orders. 

From Point Comfort Le nard Calvert sailed up 
the Bay to found the once beautiful city of St. Mary's, 
of which M. Schile de Yere, of the University of 
Virginia, speaks in his valuable and romantic chap- 
ter on the "Lost Towns of America." 

It was here and thus that Calvert landed on his 
way to found one of the noblest of the colonies — 
the "Land of the Sanctuary" — which has ever flour- 
ished upon the coasts of the great Bay over whose 
broad waters Point Comfort, crowned by Fortress 
Monroe, stands sentinel. 

And now, in conclusion, it may gratify you to read 
that an early and enthusiastic settler wrote as fol- 
lows of his new home in Terra Mariae : "Any one 
wdio desires to see the Landskip of Creation, drawn 
to life, should see Mary Land-Xest in her green and 
fragrant mantle of Spring." 

In my next I shall give you some of the salient 
facts in the more modern history of the Point, which 
I think will be found interestino;. 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 23 



III. 
THE ANCIENT HISTORY OF POINT COMFORT CONCLUDED. 

I brought down the history of Old Point in my 
last to the erection of a battery at that place by the 
allied forces of De Grasse and the Continentals. 
Cornwallis had decided against attempting to hold 
the place, and Captains Hudson, Symonds, Everitt, 
and Dun das, of the British ^avy, concurred with 
him in a report previously alluded to, in which this 
passage occurs : "We are unanimously of opinion, 
from the width of the channel and depth of water 
close to it, that any superior enemy's force coming 
in may pass any work that can be established there 
with little damage, or destroy it with the ships that 
may be there under its protection." 

This was on July 26th, 1781. The work erected 
by the French was thrown up by the ''superior en- 
emy," apparently expected by the naval board. The 
French had command of the water, and therefore 
occasion to provide against all contingencies in mov- 
ing from Hampton Roads or the mouth of York 
river into and up the James. After the war of the 
Revolution the Franco-American works went to de- 
cay, and Point Comfort and Buck Roe beach became 
a romantic solitude. A propos of Buck Roe the ed- 



24 A HISTORY OF 

itor of one series of the Virginia State Papers 
(Parmer's edition) is puzzled at finding this name 
spelt Bricke Row in some old document, which vari- 
ation from the original (Buck Roe) was evidently 
the result of a clerical error, and the correct name, 
as here given, is to he found in Wise's Seven De- 
cades of the Union. 

I must next explain to you how the place passed 
into possession of the United States, and this brings 
to mind one of the sharpest antitheses to he found 
in history. 

In '97-'98 the French directory refused to receive 
Mr. Pinckney as our minister. Verbal and diplo- 
matic aifronts were supplemented by acts of direct 
hostility, and the allies of 1781 were at war upon 
the high seas in 1798. 

During this conflict, which was popularly called 
the "Little French War," to distinguish it, I pre- 
sume, from the struggle in which Braddock met his 
great disaster, the cannon of the two powers were 
turned against each other, and the frigate Insurgente 
was captured by the famous Truxtun, whose grand_ 
son, also a Captain of reputation in our ^avy, is a 
highly respected citizen of Norfolk. 

The Congress of '89 took vigorous measures of 
defense, empowered the President to call into the 
field 80,000 men, and conferred upon the immortal 



WaslnDgtoii the rank of Lieutenant-Geiieral to or- 
ganize our defenses. In a few years this was the 
changed aspect of affairs, and the change was such 
that Washington, in a letter to Hamilton, called the 
conduct of France "outrageous." 

As a part of the defensive measures contemplated 
at that time an armament on Old Point was spoken 
of, and naturally so, as what there was of the "war" — 
outside the war of words — was maritime in its na- 
ture, and a French fleet might have fallen upon us 
had hostilities continued. But as the necessity van- 
ished the place continued in its neglected and unfor- 
tified condition. 

But the spot did not lose its warlike character, 
for it became the Phoenix Park, the Chalk Farm, 
theAVimhledon Common, and the Bois de Boulogne 
of that region, and I am told b}- old residents of 
Hampton that duels were frequently fought there by 
gentlemen of the surrounding country, some five 
of whicli I am informed are within the memory of 
inhabitants of this region. The last, in which both 
principals went down badly wounded, was fought 
in April, 1850, and I think is briefly recorded in 
Sabine's work on duelling. 

After the commotion of 1798 Old Point Comfort 
sank into a fishing ground, and the dunes went back 
very nearly to the condition described in 1609, when 



26 A HISTORY OF 

the woods were thick and the vines in picturesque 
abundance. 

In the war of 1812 Cockhurn repeated the pred- 
atory and iniquitous warfare, which Sir Henry Clin- 
ton had .waged during the Revolution, and the dis- 
may spread by his ravages was intensified by Ross' 
vandalism at Washington, after the "Bladensburg 
races." 

It was while Cockburn was ravaging the coast, 
apparently under the old theory which was agreed 
on by Clinton and Cornwallis, that the battle of 
Hampton took place, in which the Virginia troops 
were handled with about as much skill as you might 
expect from a campaign managed by a young ladies' 
seminary. But there were many acts of heroism 
performed, and the father of Mr. Fay Jones, of 
]N'orfolk, was especially distinguished. 

Then it was, with the embers of Hampton and 
Washington still smoking, that Sir William Berk- 
ley's views were finally rejected, and the Republic, 
whose capital had been partly destroyed by the in- 
vaders, determined to establish a great fortress, and 
a place of arms at Point Comfort. 

But the United States Government was slow in 
its movements, so that it was not till March the first, 
1821, that the Point and opposite shoal (Rip Raps) 
were conveyed to the Republic, though in March, 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 27 

1819, ground was actually broken for tlie great for- 
tress which now dominates tlie w^aters of Hampton 
Roads. 

And just here I may remark that l^ew Point 
Comfort, before referred to as explaining how the 
adjective became part of the name Old Point, was 
conveyed to the United States 15th of January, 1802. 

Also it may not be out of place to say that the 
land on which the lighthouse at Fort Monroe now 
stands was granted to the Government as far back 
as January 2d, 1791, so that the present militar}^ 
reservation was acquired in two separate concessions 
from the State of Virginia. 

During the times of which I have chiefly spoken 
the appearance of the place was wild and romantic, 
as one can see in his "mind's eye," when aided by 
the sketch given by ''Captayne" Pvadcliffe (1609), 
who found the "'round so tano^led and difficult that 
he estimated it to be necessary to h'dve workmen 
supplied "with victuals for one year" as a necessary 
precaution in preparing for the^raysing" of a "ftbrt;" 
and from the nature of the growth on the beach 
and hills, principally of live oak and pines, inter- 
mixed with various shrubs and vines, among the 
latter the fragrant jassamime, one can readily un- 
derstand that the ground was originally very diffi- 
cult for the primitive "inginiers" of the colon}^ 



28 A HISTORY OF 

Among numerous modern sketches of the pb^'si- 
cal aspects and condition of the place, as it now 
stands, there is none so compact, so full, or so satis- 
factory as that contained in a report from the office 
of the Surgeon-General *of the Army (1870), from 
which I make the following extracts : 

"The peninsula, on the extremity of which the 
Fort is erected, is surrounded almost hy water. The 
exceptions to this is a strip of beach some 400 yards 
wide, which runs to the north and looks eastward. 
Over this strip of beach, during heavy easterly 
storms, the sea washes, rendering at such times the 
peninsula an island. On the east, northeast and 
southeast are the waters of the Chesapeake Bay ; on 
the south and southwest are those of Hampton 
Roads, and on the north and northeast are those of 
Mill Creels . * * The geological formation 
of the peninsula, upon Avhich the Fort is built, is of 
ocean sand resting upon marl-impregnated clay. 
Boring to the depth of 850 feet within the enclosure 
of the Fort has shown nothing but sand lying upon 
marl-impregnated clay, with here and there small 
veins of sharp bluish sand admirably adapted for 
polishing and grinding metals. The country on the 
mainland is flat, anfl there are no hills within a ra- 
dius ot eight or ten miles. ^ ^ ^ The soil inside 
the Fort is artificial, and has been brought from the 



OLD POINT OOMFOKT AND FORTRESS MONROE* 29 

mainland. * * * On the Chesapeake Bay beach 
to the north are hea\^' sand hills, and on these are 
found numerous live oaks as well as the Southern 
pine," 

Having finished what may be called the " ancient 
history" of Point Comfort, in which task, by no 
means a light one, some thirty authorities had to be 
consulted, many of %vhich are exceedingly rare and 
valuable, I began to think of accumulating material 
for the modern story of this famous place. 

Provided with a letter of introduction from Cap- 
tain Cockrane, Commandant of the Marine battalion 
stationed at the ISTorfolk Nsivy Yard (really the Gos- 
port or Portsmouth Navy Yard), I took the steamer 
for Old Point, and on arriving at the garrison, pre- 
sented my letter to Adjutant Chase, who introduced 
me to Major-General George W. Getty, 'U. S. A., 
who verj^ graciously acceded to my request to be 
supplied with materials by placing in my hands a 
document which embodies all the essentia] facts 
which you wish to know, and I hereby return my 
thanks to General Getty, and the other gentlemen 
named for their courtesy and kindness. 

With this introduction, I present the readers of 
the Evening Herald with the following interesting 
and valuable paper, of which but one other cop}' is 
in existence (on file in the War Department), and 



80 A HISTORY OF 

whicli has never before been given to the public, so. 
that from first to last the Baltimore Evening Herald 
may fairly claim to have monopolized and exhausted 
the historical field of Old Point Comfort and For- 
tr.ess Monroe, and this brings me to what may pro- 
perly be called the general history of the Point. 

IV. 

MODERN HISTORY OF POINT COMFORT, 

For the facts immediately following, the writer is 
indebted, as already set forth, to the courtesy of 
Major-General Getty, U. S. A. They are from the 
ofiicial memorandum belonging to the garrison, and 
I have only used such parts in this pid)lication as 
promise to interest the general reader. 

"Fort Monroe, Virginia, is in latitude 37 deg. 
min. 02 sec, longitude 76 deg. 18 min. 06 sec. west 
from Greenwich, and is the principal fortification 
for the defense of Hampton Roads, near the mouth 
of Chesapeake Bay, James River, and l!^orfolk." 

"It was projected, with others, to cove the interior 
navigation between Chesapeake Bay and the South- 
ern States, to secure the roadstead, and a point, 
servins^ as the connectino- link between the middle 
and southern coasts as a naval place of arms, whence 
that arm of the public service may operate. in de- 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 31 

fense of commerce and tlie public establishments at 
I^orfolk, and such as were contemplated on James 
river; also to prevent an enemy from making a 
lodgment in the direction of Norfolk." 

"These objects have been minutely sot forth in 
the reports of various boards of military and naval 
officers, created from time to time since the close of 
hostilities with Great Britain in the early part of 
1816 — experiences during which having drawn the 
serious attention of the Government to the subject 
of sea-coast defenses, and the most important of 
these reports are consequently cited." 

"ISTovember 16, 1816, the acting Secretary of War, 
George Graham, directed the immediate formation 
of a "board of engineer officers" to consist of Brig- 
adier-General Simon Bernard, Colonel William Mc- 
Rea and Lieutenant-Colonel J. G. Totten, together 
with an officer of the ^avy, and the engineer officer 
in charge of the district in which the board might 
be acting, to examine in conjunction all these posi- 
tions where important permanent works are or may 
be proposed to be erected, etc., etc. [Instructions 
from Chief of Engineers."] 

"January 18, 1817, the Secretary of the Kavy 
transmitted to the Senate opinions of ^N'aval Board, 
for the selection of site for naval depot and defensive 
works on Chesapeake Bay." 



82 A HISTORY OF 

"Senate resolutions of February 13, 1817, and 
April 20, 1818, directed the President to cause the 
survey of * ''' * Hampton Roads and York river 
by commissioners, who shall report on the practica- 
bility of defending the same by fortifications, &c., 
&c.," and the following from the records of the engi- 
neer department are the instructions under which 
the work was finally executed: 

The instructions, which I condense, issued from 
the U. S. Engineer Department, May 1st, 1818, and 
were addressed to Brigadier-Generals Swift and 
Bernard, and Colonels Armistead and McEea, who 
were to co-operate with Captains "Warrington and 
Elliott of the I^^avy, for the purpose of examining 
the waters of Hampton Roads and York River. 
They were specially instructed "to report how far it 
[might] be practicable to defend Chesapeake Bay 
by erecting towers and other defenses in the chan- 
nel between the Horse Shoe and the Middle Ground." 
Major Kearney, topographical engineer, was de- 
tailed for duty with the Board. 

By "instructions of the Secretary of War," the 
Chief Engineer continued as follows: 

"In forming plans and estimates of the works of 
defense, I am instructed by the Secretary of War to 
assume a given force as the amount of which an 
enemy would use in operating against any position 



OLD POINT COMFOET AND FORTRESS MONROE. 33 

that may be fortified on or near Chesapeake Bay. 
I therefore recommend to the commissioners to make 
their calculations upon the supposition that an en- 
emy can land an army of twenty thousand men to 
operate against the works on land, and that they can 
aid such an army with 15 seventy-fours, 20 frigates, 
and 30 bomb vessels, to cover the landing and to 
operate against the marine batteries which may be 
adjacent to or connected with the land defense." 

Under date of June 10, 1818, the Secretary issued 
another order defining still further the duties of the 
Board, from which we quote the following para- 
graph : 

** The Board will proceed with as much dispatch 
as is consistent with a thorough discharge of its 
duties, and when the survey is completed, or the 
season will not permit it to be continued, it will re- 
pair to this place to complete its reports and estimates." 

I now resume the official narrative as follows : 

******* 

The report of this Board is voluminous,^and era- 
braces the inception of the present system of sea-coast 
defense of the United States. It was made in 1819 
and 1820, and revised in 1826. 

The principal reports of our officers on the subject 
of sea-coast defense are contained in H. R. Report 



84 A HISTORY OF 

]N"o. 87, 39th Congress, second session, and too elab- 
orate to quote herein at length. 

It is said to be a tradition of the Engineer Depart- 
ment that Fort Monroe was planned by Gen. Simon 
Bernard, of the United States Engineers^ formerly 
an officer under N'apoleon I. in the Imperial Army 
of France. The drawings were made by Captain 
W. T. Ponssin, of the Topograji^hical Engineers, 
acting Aid to General Bernard; and it is noteworthy 
that in a report by a board ol officers on the subject 
of military defenses, May 10, 1840, an apology is 
made for its magnitude. 

Material having been accumulated at Old Point 
Comfort, Va., during the Fall and "Winter of 1818, 
the construction of the fort was actually commenced 
in March, 1819, under Major Charles Gratiot, Corps 
of Engineers ; and from 1822 until February, 1824, 
all able-bodied soldiers serving on the Atlantic coast 
who were sentenced by courts-martial to hard labor 
for periods exceeding six months were employed on 
this work. 

It was named Fort Monroe in honor of James 
Monroe, who was the President of the United States 
when its construction was commenced. The first 
appropriation bill in which this fort is specifically 
mentioned is in that of March, 1821, previous to 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 35 

which date appropriations were made in general 
without designating particular works.. 

The post was first occupied by Battery G, 3d United 
States Artillery — June, 1823 — Captain M. P. Lomax 
commanding. In February, 1824, its garrison was 
increased by Batteries C, D and I 4th Artillery 
Captain B. K. Pierse, 4th Artillery, assuming com- 
mand. About this time the Artillery School, then 
known as the " Artillery School of Practice," was 
established and is now in existence, known as the 
United States Artillery School. The School has, 
however, been discontinued at various times when 
the public services demanded the services of the 
troops elsewhere. During the civil war of 1862-'5 
the post was garrisoned by one regiment of heavy 
artillery, 1,800 men. General Sherman's expedition 
to South Carolina sailed from this point October 
28, 1861. General Burnside's expedition to l^orth 
Carolina also sailed in January, 1861. General 
Butler's expedition to Hatteras Inlet in August, 
1861, and to Fort Fisher in December, 1864 ; also 
General Terry's in January, 1863, were fitted out at 
Fort Monroe. 

The post was used as a base of supplies for the 
Army and I^avy operating on the line of James 
river and along the coast of JSTorth and South Carolina 
during the entire period of the war. 



36 A HISTOUT OF 

Major-Geifieral B, F. Butler commancTecI tlie mili- 
tary department of which Fort Monroe was the 
headquarters from May 22d, 1861, to August 17th, 
1861. He was succeeded by Major-General John 

E. Wool, who w^as followed June 2d, 1862, by Major- 
General John H. Dix, who commanded until July 
18th, 1863 ; then folloAved Major-General John G. 
Foster to l^ovember 11th, 1863; Major-General B. 

F. Butler to December 24th, 1864, and Major-General 
E. O. C. Ord to April, 1865. The post then became 
the headquarters of the Fifth Regiment of Artillery 
until ISTovember 13th, 1867, when the Artillery 
School was again established. [See G. O. -No. 99 of 
1867, from A. G. 0.] 

y. 

The area of the site of Fort Monroe, 252 acres, 
including two acres previously ceded, was ceded to 
the United States by the State of Virginia, March 
1st, 1821, and conveyed to the former b}' deed from 
the Governor of Virginia, recorded in the County 
Court of Elizabeth City county, December 12th, 
1828. 

The records of Elizabeth City county were de- 
stroyed by fire at the burning of Hampton during 
tlie war of 1861-'5. The title of the United States 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 37 

to lands at Fort Monroe was affirmed by the Court 
of Appeals of Virginia, in the case of French vs. 
Bankhead, in May, 1854, settling the rights of the 
United States in her favor fully upon every point 
made, to wit: 

[The details here are purely technical, and are, 
therefore, omitted.] 

Mill Creek Bridge, connecting Old Point Comfort 
with the main land, was deeded to the United States 
by the Hampton "River and Mill Creek Toll Bridge 
Company, ]^ovember 15, 1838. 

Jurisdiction over the toll bridge and abutments 
thereof across Mill creek in the county of Elizabeth 
City, was ceded to the United States by deed of the 
Governor of Virginia, executed April 8, 1871. 

About fifteen acres of land on the right bank of 
Mill creek opposite Fort Monroe, were conveyed to 
the United States by A. J. Bradford, February 12, 
1841. 

A lot containing two acres, situated at the inter- 
section of Hampton and Fox Hill roads, was pur- 
chased for the United States by Colonel Rene E. De 
Russy from John Tabb, in May, 1844; consideration, 
^80.85. This lot was intended for a cemetery, but 
the United States failing to confirm the purchase, it 
reverted to the estate of Colonel De Russy, he hav- 
ing personally paid the consideration named. In the 



38 A HISTORY OF 

settlement of tlie De Russy estate this lot was re- 
conveyed to Tabb, of Hampton, Va. 

[Private persons occupy places on the reservation^ 
and the chief of these in extent of ground occupied, 
and value of property, is Mr. Phoebus of the hotel. 
This is spoken of in the official memorandum as fol- 
lows, metes and bounds omitted :] 

Hygeia Hotel was authorized by a joint resolu- 
tion of Congress, approved June 25, 1868, to Heni-y 
Clark. Additional ground and the construction of 
additional buildings was authorized to said Clark by 
the Secretary of War, January 20, 1872, and articles 
of agreement were signed by Clark, Colonel W. F. 
Barry and Major W. P. Craighill respectively, for 
each grant. Clark sold to S. M. Shoemaker, of Bal- 
timore, Md., and by virtue of joint resolution of 
Congress, approved February 19, 1875, Shoemaker 
was authorized by the Secretary of War to enlarge 
the building. In the last case articles of agreement 
were signed by Hon. W. W. Belknap, Secretary of 
War, and Shoemaker, date December 28, 1875. 

Joseph Segar and C. C. Willard, in consideration 
of losses sustained by them by the destruction of the 
old Hygeia Hotel in 1862, which building stood 
upon the glaces of the fort, and had been conjointly 
owned by them since June 15, 1857, were authorized 
by the Secretary of War :N'ov^ember 16, 1871, 23d of 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 39 

Jaiiimry, 1872, and Februaiy 5, 1872, to rebuild 
their hotel and to occupy a site situated on the Mill 
Creek road and north of the fort. ITeither of whom, 
however, availed themselves of the opportunity. 

There is a Eoman CathoHc Chapel, authorized by 
Lieutenant-Colonel R. E. DeRussy, approved by 
the Secretary of War. Article of agreement signed 
June 8, 1860, by Right Rev. John McGill, Bishop 
of Richmond. The Chapel stands on the road lead- 
ing from main sally-port, and privilege includes a 
residence for clergyman ; also, small school, both 
subsequently authorized. 

Mr. William A. Kimberly has a store-house author- 
ized by law, James A. Watkins,Esq.,has an attractive 
place near the Hotel, and conducts the business of 
grocer and ship-chandler. Mr. William Balch is 
post-trader, and Adams Express Company has an 
office (telegraph.) 

YI. 

THE OLD HYGEIA, ANECDOTES, AND A GROUP OF FACTS. 

Among the objects of local interest outside the 
Fort, the Hygeia Hotel is conspicuous, and in am- 
plification of the memorandum already made on this 
subject I add the following : 

The Hygeia Hotel was built in 1821, by a brother 



40 A HISTORY OF 

of the late General Armistead, United States Army, 
who was at that time post-sutler. The lumber for 
the building was procured from Tunis & Parks, at 
that time carrying on a "West Indian business, and 
owners of an extensive lumber-yard at ISTorfolk. The 
original "Hygeia" was situated near the entrance of 
the Fort, and consisted of one large room, used both 
as parlor and dining-room, with four chambers on 
either side, and kitchen in outbuilding in the rear, 
as in olden time. 

The post-sutler having become dissatisfied, with 
the consent of the Department the hotel was turned 
over to Messrs. Tunis & Parks, and Mr. Tunis hav- 
ing disposed of his interest, Mr. Marshall Parks be- 
came sole proprietor, and gave the hotel its present 
name, and made extensive improvements. The sa- 
lubrity of the climate attracted visitors from abroad, 
and just after the "Black Hawk War," that cele- 
brated personage, together with other distinguised 
Indian chiefs, became prisoners of war at Fortress 
Monroe. 

When it was known that Black Hawk was to ar- 
rive at ^N'orfolk on his way to the Fortress, the 
wharves were crowded to witness his landing from 
the Richmond steamer. At that early period the 
steamboat from Richmond did not make landings at 
Old Point, but came from the James through the 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 41 

Swasli channel direct to the old borouo^li. Mr. Parks 
being then sole owner of the Hygeia and the sev- 
eral steamboats to Old Point, dispatched one of his 
steamers to the mouth of the James and intercepted 
the Richmond steamer, taking off the Indians and 
their guard, landing them at Fortress Monroe, thus 
disappointing the people of JN'orfolk who had gath- 
ered on the wharves to see them debark. The In- 
dians at Old Point attracted great crowds, and the 
profits of the Hygeia were very much increased. 
The hotel w^as greatly enlarged and made capable ot 
accommodating four hundred guests. 

Old Point, as a watering place, was now attract- 
ing people from every section. The English, French, 
and Spanish war vessels would rendezvous in Hamp- 
ton Roads each year to escape the hurricane months 
of the West Indies, and their stay would be a sea- 
son of joyous hilarity for the young people. Balls 
and parties were the order of the day; and it was 
nothing unusual for several bands of music, repre- 
senting different nationalities, to be stationed in the 
ball-room at one time. The Hygeia, in those days, 
w^as brilliantly illuminated, and the music by the 
Fort band was considered the best in the country. 

After the death of Mr. Parks, in 1840, the hotel 
became the property of different persons, who sub- 
sequently sold to James H. French, who greatly 



42 A HISTORY OF 

enlarged and improved it. The ball-room was said 
to be one of the best in the United States, and the 
hotel presented an elegant appearance. 

An anecdote connected with Black Hawk, w^hich 
I believe has never been printed, is worth preserving, 
and shows that the famous chief understood how to 
hold an advantage when gained quite as well as any 
civilized w^arrior among the pale-faces. To vary the 
monotony of his captivity, he played at draughts and 
became quite celebrated at the game. At last a gen- 
tleman was produced who possessed considerable 
skill, as was explained to the chief, after which they 
sat down to play, Black Hawk attended by an inter- 
preter. The result was in favor of the captive warrior, 
thereupon his antagonist arranged the men and indi- 
cated that Black Hawk should move, but the chief 
sat as still as if cast in bronze, and paid no attention 
to the nods and signs of the defeated player. 

Whereupon the latter called on the interpreter to 
explain that he washed the chief to open the game. 
After an exchange of a few words in their own tongue, 
the interpreter turned to the expectant '' pale face " 
and gave Black Hawk's reply in this sententious 
fashion : "He say no. He say he got you beat; he 
keep you beat;" wdth which re-ply the chief arose 
from the table and stalked away, no doubt pleased 
witliin himself at his victory over the man who had 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 43 

been reported to liim as specially skilled in the game 
of which he himself was a master. 

The '^Rip-Raps" once had a ^'disloyal" name, 
that of Castle Calhoun, which was changed to Fort 
Wool, not to any advantage, bat it is never described 
by either of these names, unless when the latter may 
be used in official descri]Dtions. In Howe's History 
of Virginia the following remarkable and erroneous 
piece of etymologj^ appears, which may be worth 
correcting : 

*' The shoal water which, under the action of the 
sea, and reacted on by the bar, is kept in unremitting 
ripple has given the name of Rip-Raps to the place." 

The truth is that the debris, the rubbish, the rip- 
rap discarded from the work on the main land was 
"dumped" on the shoal where this grim and solitary 
work now rises from the water, with the addition of 
an 5, the name (Rip-Rap^) was given to it by usage, 
wdiich, as is always the case, has proved for poj^ular 
eifect more powerful than official nomenclature. 

About the year 1879 the Engineer Department 
organized a board to test the relative resistance of 
various materials to modern projectiles. For this 
purpose immense targets of wood, iron, stone, con- 
crete, &c., were erected on the beach to represent 
sections of imaginary fortifications, and a large num- 
ber of distinguished officers of engineers, artillery and 



44 A HISTORY OF 

ordnance, were present to witness the experiments 
and study the results. A 12-inch rifled gun was 
used, and also a 10-inch and a 15-inch columbiad. 
The rifle carried a conical steel projectile of 60 pounds,, 
while a solid shot of 450 pounds was used for a 15- 
inch gun. The result of the practice may be summed 
up in two or three words. Two or three shots reduced 
each target to a total wreck, but a great sand-bank 
which received many of the projectiles seemed to 
smile with positive serenity, and absolutely to defy 
the battering force of the great pieces. The arma- 
ment of the fort includes many such guns as have 
been referred to, but, with parsimonious appropria- 
tions and the great improvement in modern ordnance, 
it has not been thought wise to go further in mounting 
cannon which must soon be superceded in coast 
defenses, which may at some day (who knows when ?) 
have to contend with the heavily-armored ships of 
some European power. 

It is the intention of the Government to take its 
three 10-inch columbiads and gradually convert them 
into 8-inch rifled guns, thereby increasing their efii- 
ciency both in powers of flight and penetration. About 
three months ago eight of these guns were shipped 
to AYest Point foundry, Cold Spring, IS". Y., to undergo 
this transformation, and others will be sent as soon 
as funds become available. A propos of the change, 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 45 

an amusing dialogue occurred between the Ordnance 
Sergeant, who was placing guns on the wharf to he 
shipped, and the Post Chaplain. The latter came 
along and casually asked the sergeant what he was 
doing with the guns. 

The sergeant replied, " Oh, Ave are sending them 
IS'orth to he converted." 

To which the chaplain remarked: ''I am afraid 
they will find them hard subjects." 

With the "converted" guns mounted, the Eip- 
Eaps armed, the iron-clad fleet (now^ at City Point) 
equipped and in the Poads, and with a torpedo station 
at Norfolk, Point Comfort will be able to give a very 
good account of itself in resisting the approach of a 
hostile fleet. 

While in this vein of scattered recollections I must 
not forget to tell you that rather a singular scene was 
presented wdien the case of French i'5. Banl^head was 
decided in the Circuit Court of Elizabeth City county. 
The Judge was the celebrated John B. Clop ton, a 
man of great learning and many remarkable qualities, 
wdiose memory is still warmly cherished by the people 
of this part of Virginia. The case was argued before 
him by some of the most learned lawyers of the 
country, and for ten or fifteen days the old court- 
house in Hampton (burnt by Magruder) resounded 
to their eloquence. I am told that they had a cart- 



46 A HISTORY OF 

load of authorities, and that all the black-letter law 
in the hooks, relative to riparian rights, was paraded 
for the edification of the court. When the argument 
was over, Judge Clopton thanked the counsel for 
their display of learning, and then decided the matter 
in a couple of minutes by reading an old statute of 
Virginia, which forbade any one to patent the lands 
from and after a certain date. This overthrew the 
French case, horse, foot and dragoons, and, I am told, 
all the famous lawyers in the case had overlooked, 
had forgotten, or were ignorant of the Act of Assembly 
which the Judge had quoted in deciding for the de- 
fendant. 

But my letter has already' been too much protracted, 
and I wind it up by assuring you and your readers 
that my next will contain a chapter of unwritten 
history, which will be worthy of attention. 

YII. 

WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN. 

In what I call the modern history of Point Com- 
fort and Fortress Monroe I included the documen- 
tary evidence of certain striking and carefully au- 
thenticated facts, all chronologically arranged, and 
in so doing kept in reserve a number of curious and 
interesting things gathered from other sources. 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 47 

Among other things I gathered in prosecuting my 
inquiries was the fact that General Y. D. Groner, of 
of this city, had been intimately connected with a 
scheme to take possession of Fortress Monroe when, 
in 1861, it became apparent that a war was to take 
place between the sections. This gentleman was 
afterwards a Colonel in Mahone's famous brigade, 
Army I^orthern Virginia, and is now agent of the 
Boston Steamship Company in this city. "With this 
sketch of General Groner's previous career, I go at 
once to our interview. 

"When I explained to him the object of my visit, 
and displayed my credentials, he expressed a reluct- 
ance to discuss the matter; but when I urged it upon 
him as of public importance, showing him that the 
facts belonged to the domain of history, he promised 
to take the matter under consideration. Unwilling 
to take this as a refusal, and animated b}^ the desire 
to give this unwritten history to the public, I called 
upon him again, and the following is the substance, 
very accurately stated, of our interview : 

In reply to my direct question if he would not 
give me the facts of this interesting matter, lie said : 

"Yes, I can give you most of them; but it is now 
over twenty years since the time and events of which 
you speak, and I cannot pretend to be accurate as to 
days and dates, or as to the forces then at Old Point, 



48 A HISTORY OF 

and I must speak with some reserve, though not 
with reserve in any essential particular. I shall 
omit nothing which is in the line of your inquiry, 
but I shall not go beyond that into details which 
might involve any person living or dead, further 
than to name one or two prominent men of Virginia, 
who cannot object to what I have to say, or whose 
friends, as is the case with General Wise, now dead, 
could find any fault with my reminiscences; but I 
will merely show you how easih' it would have been 
for the State of Virginia to have possessed herself 
of that important fortification which would strate- 
gically have been the key to the Chesapeake Bay, 
and controlled the Gosport^avy Yard with its large 
number of ships and immense munitions of war — 
saving the Confederacy thousands of men, who after- 
wards occupied I^orfolk and the Peninsula, and en- 
abled them to have concentrated their entire ibrce 
in Virgina opposite Washington, and have made the 
battle of Manassas a Waterloo to the Union forces. 
"During the canvass for the Presidency in 1860, I 
was on the Rio Grande; my purpose was to colonize, . 
or rather Americanize through a secret organization, 
of which I was military secretary, certain States in 
Mexico, and ultimately ask annexation to the United 
States, thereby giving a political equilibrium which 
the South was rapidly losing by the growing settle- 



OLD POINT COMFORT AN'D FORTRESS MONROE. 49 

ments of Northwestern Territories. The excitement 
of the Presidential election prevented us being 
joined by a sufficient force, and the election result- 
ing in the success of Mr. Lincoln caused us to feel 
that the attempt was then useless. Returning egst 
as rapidly as the slow conveyances at the time 
through Texas would permit, I went to Jackson, 
Mississippi, and was sent l!Torth by Governor Petus, 
of that State, stopping at ISTorfolk, Va. I visited 
my old friend, Governor Henry A. Wise, who then 
lived but a few miles from this city. We had sev- 
eral talks upon the situation of the country, but be- 
ing directed by telegraph to proceed to 'New York, 
nothing was done; but upon my return from New 
York in January, 1861, I was sent for by Governor 
Henry A. Wise, who said, we must possess ourselves 
of Fort Monroe, and I must do it, he said, whether 
the State of Virginia seceded or not, and he was for 
fighting for our Constitutional rights in the Union. 
We (the States, he meant) mustbe in position to con- 
trol terms, and that Virginia should not be coerced 
into damaging terms by the constant menace which 
such a Fort, occupying a part of her soil, would give 
the Federal Government. Having always been an 
enthusiastic admirer of Wise, and having been re- 
quested by him whilst he was Governor, to go to 
Harper's Ferry, and afterwards to Charlestown, and 



50 A HISTORY OF 

remain until after the execution of John Brown, I 
rapidly fell into his views. Having quite a large 
number of our organization in the old town of 
Hampton, some three miles from the Fort, I pro- 
ceeded to that point and made it my headquarters, 
initiating a number of the enlisted men of the gar- 
rison who we could best trust, among whom were 
three of the orderly sergeants. Our plans becoming 
better matured these sergeants, who were to arrange 
to have proper men on guard at certain points, in- 
cluding Mill Creek bridge and a certain gate, de- 
clined to act further unless the demand for the sur- 
render was made by the authority of the State of 
Virginia, and a free passport guaranteed to them to 
pass through the State with protection during the 
same. I then had recourse to Governor Wise, who 
advised me to at once proceed to Ivicbmond, and 
through General Richardson, who had served as 
Adjutant-General of this State for very many years, 
and who was my personal frieiid, to lay the siuation 
before Governor Letcher, fortihed with a letter from 
Governor Wise to General Eichardson urging his 
assistance and committing himself fully to the enter- 
prise. I visited Richmond, and after exphiining the 
situation, he thoroughly coincided with the views of 
Wise and myself, and promised his active support in 
convincing the Governor of its immediate necessity. 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 51 

he himself sroino; ^^^th me across the hall to Governor 
Letcher's room. 

"Ill consultation ^vith the Governor at the time was 
Secretary of State Muntbrd, and some two or three 
other gentlemen, whom I was advised I could trust — 
one, I think, was Mr. Keeson, a lawyer of Richmond. 
General Richardson had some consultation with the 
Governor, and then stated that I had come with a 
most important proposition that he fully concurred 
in. Governor Letcher then asked me to state fully 
my proposition and all the facts connected therewith. 
After doing so he hesitated a few moments, and then 
replied, he was the Governor of Virginia, but not 
placed there to make laws, but only to execute them^ 
The Legislature was then in session, and if Ihad any 
plans write them out and he would submit them to 
the Legislature. My reply at once was, ^ Governor, 
you know a number of the members are open and 
avowed Abolitionists, and if this was submitted to 
that body the authorities in Washington would know 
of it within the hour it was so submitted.' He then 
said this was the only thing he could do, and I at 
once returned to Norfolk. In other interviews with 
our friends in the Fort, I found they were fixed in 
their declaration not to act except upon the condition 
named ; and receiving a telegram shortly from Gov- 
ernor Petus, I proceeded to Mississippi. I was sent 



52 A HISTORY OF 

from there to Montgomery and appointed First 
Lieutenant in the regular Confederate Army and 
assigned to duty much in advance of General Cooper's 
arrival as Assistant Adjuant-General, and b}^ direction 
of L. P. Walker, then Secretary of War of the Con- 
federacy, had transmitted to General Beauregard by 
telegraph 'to open tire upon Fort Sumter.' You 
can readily see how easy the capture of Fort Monroe 
would have been, with at least one-fourth of the 
enlisted men in our sworn organization, and with 
over 300 men from Hampton and Norfolk, who 
would not have hesitated at a much more hazardous 
enterprise under the fierce excitement of those days. 

"Secretary of State Munford some time ago wrote 
me, requesting me to give my understanding of the 
interview, for publication in the Southern Historical 
Society, and I looked up at the time old memoranda 
of the occurrence; but it was so soon after the war 
that I thought it best not to do so at that time. In 
my conversation wdth you, hurriedly as it is, I may 
have fallen into some errors, but if Mr. Munford is 
now alive, or the other gentlemen, they will concur 
with me in the substance of my interview w^ith Gov- 
ernor Letcher, and there are many now alive who 
know all of what I have said, although very few were 
"fully admitted to the secret." 

The above interview with General Groner has 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 53 

given you and your readers a piece of unwritten 
history which brings to mind on a vast scale the sug- 
gestions contained in Hawthorne's &tory of what 
might have been, and one could pursue the theme 
through many pages without exhausting the topics 
Old Point Comfort has elsewhere been compared to 
Barcelona. Its relations to Virginia are those which 
that place hold to Spain, and more especially during 
the war were they what the relations of Barcelona 
were to the Iberian peninsula from 1808 to 18l4. The 
conception of its capture was a wise one in a military 
point of view, and on this point all well-informed 
people will agree without touching the opinions they 
may hold in regard to the rights and merits of our 
unhappy war. But it is not my function to elaborate 
these reflections, and I lay down my pen with the 
conviction that I have been the means of contributing 
to our history a curious little chapter, which, unde^ 
other circumstances, might have been "big with the 
fate of Cato and of Rome." 



VIII. 

Although I have finished the history of Old Point 
Comfort, Fortress Monroe, and the incidents con- 
nected therewith, yet I feel that it would be a grand 
mistake on my part to close my communications to 



54 A HISTORY OF 

the Herald from this important point without Legging 
your readers to go with me to three places hereabouts, 
around which cluster scenes of more than ordinary 
interest to both reader and student. 
-^ Keccoughtan, or Hampton, is a place of great an- 
tiquity, and deserves a history of its own, which some 
day may be written. But to speak of the ancient 
town of Hampton without a word or two of the Ches- 
apeake and Ohio Raih-oad would be to ignore a great 
and living fact, which is destined to exercise a pro- 
digious influence on the '' Peninsula of Virginia," as 
the tongue of land between the York and James is 
called, though the State has many others. The 
Eastern terminus of this great line is at Newports 
News, as I have said elsewhere, and the work is 
going forward with energy and dispatch, so that the 
tourist who wishes to understand something of the 
rapid development of Virginia's resources cannot do 
better than to take a look at this historic spot. The 
road, splendidly equipped and thoroughly appointed, 
w^ill probably be ready for services by the 1st of 
September, and its enormously valuable property at 
]^ewports News will be provided with merchan- 
dise docks, coal docks, and grain elevators on a 
grand s^ale. Hampton Roads, to which the great 
Commodore Maury looked forward as the future 
commercial centre of the Atlantic coast, will soon 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE, 55 

sliow signs of verifying his prediction, and fleets 
of ships for coal, and grain, and meat will assemble 
at the company's wharves long before another Summer 
brings its guests to Old Point Comfort. There is no 
extravagance in this, for while the line is building up 
at this end it is pushed forward with equal energy in 
the West, from Huntington to Cincinnati, Louisville, 
Memphis, St. Louis, and Chicago ; and alike rich in 
resources and powerful in connections it will become 
a benefaction to this part of the country, and such is 
the feeling of the people of the Peninsula. 

The Hygeia (of wdiich mention has been briefly 
made in these sketches) was before the war a cele- 
brated watering-place, but it was not until years after 
peace that the place arose from its ashes and reasserted 
its rightful position. Its old clientage was scattered, 
a new generation had arisen, and only knew^ of it 
traditionally as a place to which pleasure-seekers 
used to resort in ante-bellum days. But under the 
excellent management of its present proprietor it has 
more than regained its former prestige, and to-day 
stands prominently among the best resorts known in 
the country. But let us visit the place ourselves, by 
supposing ourselves to have started from Baltimore 
or Washington on board the palatial steamers which 
ply between those cities and Old Point. It is a lovely 
June morning (suppose you). We step from the 



56 A HISTOKT OF 

stateroom and we catch a whiff' of the delightfal 
morning air, while before iis unruffled as a Summer 
lake the tranquil Chesapeake stretches before us. 
To our left and parallel with our steamer's course 
lies the self-same shore which greeted Newport's 
w^eary eyes nearly three centuries ago; to the left 
also the light-house at Cape Charles shows like a 
pillar beneath the rising sun. Soon we reach the 
Hygeia; our room fronts upon the Bay, and through 
the open window we look upon its animated surface, 
and from afar the music tells us ''what the wild 
waves say.-' 

Bent on seeing all the scenes ot interest, we start 
for a drive to the JN'ational Soldiers' Home, over 
which Captain P. T. Woodffn presides as governor. 
This place is a mammoth building, and w^as before 
the war used as a seminary for young ladies, but the 
Government having purchased it, has made great 
additions, and to-day it is regarded as one of the 
finest structures of the kind in the entire countr3\ 
Its grounds are large and handsomely laid off* and 
filled with rare flowers and shrubbery. They have 
a small theatre for public entertainments, which, I 
am pleased to say, is often occupied by professional 
players. 

The total number of disabled soldiers and sailors 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 



57 



cared for at the Home during the year ending June 
30th, 1880, was 1,106, from the following States : 



California 5 

Connecticut 23 

Delaware 16 

District of Columbia.. .66 

Illinois 23 

Indiana 15 

Iowa 4 

Kansas 8 

Kentucky 19 

Louisiana.. 12 

Maine 11 

Maryland 63 

Massachusetts 40 

Michigan 10 

Minnesota 2 

Missouri 30 

Total 



jN'ew Mexico 2 

New York 302 

]^ew Jersey 83 

New Hampshire 12 

Ohio 20 

Oregon 1 

Pennsylvania 266 

Ehode Island 15 

Tennessee 1 

Texas 1 

Vermont 8 

Virginia 27 

West Virginia 9 

Wisconsin 11 

Washino'ton Ter 1 



1106 



The men are well provided for and seem to he sat- 
isfied with the provisions made for their support. 
The Home is a place of much interest, and all the 
tourists visiting here are sure to go there also. 

From this place they next take in the Hampton 
Normal School, which is presided over by General 
S. C. Armstrong. This gentleman is a native of the 
Sandwich Islands, and has a brother there, who, at 
this writing, is the Attorney-General of that Govern- 
ment. 

The institution is supported by contributions. 



58 A HISTORY OF 

mostly made by Northern people, while the State 
of Virginia contributes, through her Legislature, 
§10,000 annually to its support. It was opened in 
April, 1868, with fifteen pupils, one teacher and a 
matron, but up to this time fourteen hundred and 
twenty-nine have been admitted (1,429), most of 
whom are colored boys and girls. The principal's 
last report (October, 1880,) gives that year's enrollment 
as follows : 

"Colored men, 181; colored women, 105; Indian 
boys, 47; Indian girls, 24. Total, 354. Average 
age of young women, 18 J years ; average age of 
young men, 20 years. There has been a gain of 32 
colored students over last year. There are less day 
scholars but more boarders." 

Three years ago seventeen Indians, ex-prisoners of 
war, out of a party of sixty-five captured warriors, 
who, after three years of confinement at St. Augus- 
tine, Florida, had been released by the Government, 
were enrolled as pupils at this school. In a few 
months afterwards eleven out of the seventeen pro- 
fessed religion, and this is regarded as a great chaiige, 
for against each of these eleven young Indians there 
were charges of plunder and murder on file in the 
War Department. Some time during every year some 
one of the chiefs whose children are in this school 
pays it a visit. Last session the Ponca chief, AVhite 



OLD POINT COMFORT AND FORTRESS MONROE. 59 

Eagle, and Little-iio-Heart visited the school and 
were highly pleased. So you can understand that it 
has been fully demonstrated that not only the negro 
but the red brother is being benefitted by these 
normal schools; and when the Indian is once edu- 
cated that is to a great extent the end of Indian 
wars. The braves will not fight the people who are 
educating their children. Every Indian child at the 
white man's school is a hostage. Had the son of 
Dull Knife, the Chey;enne chief, who a few years 
ago, with his 300 warriors, made one of the most 
brilliant raids of history through Kansas, been at 
school, Dull Knife would never have gone on that 
raid. There are a number of buildings attached to 
this place, and each is used for some particular 
branch of industry, where the boys and girls of the 
school are taught to work, learning some kind of 
trade in order that they may become useful. The 
grounds are most beautifully laid off", and when taken 
all in all, the place is one of much interest to tourists 
generally. When one starts from Point Comfort to 
visit the above place he generally consumes the en- 
tire day in sight-seeing, although the School and 
Soldiers' Home are but three miles distant. The 
ride, however, together with the healthful sea-breeze, 
sharpens his appetite for the supper which Phoebus, 
of the Hygeia, knows so well how to prepare. 



60 THE NAVAL BATTLES 



THE FIRST CONFEDERATE RAM. 



History of tlie Merrimac Und^r tlie Confederate Fla^. 



The following narrative gf tlie services of the 
Merrimac was contributed to the Southern Maga- 
zine by Catesby Ap-R. Jones, her Executive and 
Ordnance Officer and Commander, in her fight with 
the Monitor : 

When, on April 21, 1861, the Virginians took pos- 
session of the abandoned Navy Yard at i^orfolk, 
they found that the Merrimac had been burned and 
sunk. She was raised ; and on June 23d following, 
Mr. S. R. Mallory, Confederate Secretary of the 
I^av}^ ordered that she should be converted into an 
iron-clad, on the plan proposed by Lieutenant John 
M. Brooke, C. S. I^avy. The hull was 273 feet long. 
About 160 feet of the central portion was covered 
by a roof of wood and iron, inclining about 36 de- 
o^rees. The wood was two feet thick. It consisted 
of oak plank 4 inches by 12 inches, laid up and 
down next the iron, and two courses of pine — one 



OP HAMPTON ROADS. 61 

longitudinal of eight inclies tliickriess, the other 
twelve inches thick. The intervening space on top 
was closed by permanent gratings of two inch square 
iron two and one-half inches apart, leaving openings 
for four hatches, one near each end, and one for- 
w^ard and one abaft the smokestack. The roof did 
not project beyond the hull. There was no knuckle 
as in the Atlantic, Tennessee and our other iron- 
clads of latter and improved construction. The ends 
of the shield were rounded. The armor was four 
inches thick. It was fastened to its wooden backing 
by one and three-eighths inch bolts, countersunk 
and secured by iron nuts and washers. The plates 
were eight inches wide. Those first made were one 
inch thick, which was as thick as we could then 
punch cold iron. We succeeded soon in punch- 
ing two inches, and the remaining plates, more than 
two-thirds, were two inches thick. They were rolled 
and punched at the Tredegar Works, Richmond. 
The outside course was up and down, the next long- 
itudinaL Joints were broken where there were 
more than two courses. The hull, extending two 
feet below the roof, was plated with one inch iron ; 
it was intended that it should have had three inches. 
The prow was of cast iron, wedge-shape, and weighed 
1,500 pounds. It was about two feet under water, 
and projected two feet from the stem; it was well 



62 the' NAVAL BATTLES 

fastened. The rudder and propeller were unpro- 
tected. The battery consisted of ten guns, four sin- 
gle-banded Brooke rifles, and six nine-inch Dahl- 
green's shell guns. Two of the rifles, bow and stern 
pivots, were seven-incb, of 14,500 pounds; the other 
two of 9,000 pounds, one on each broadside. The 
nine-inch gun on each side nearest the furnaces was 
fitted for firing hot shot. A few nine-inch shot with 
extra windage were cast for hot shot. ]^o other solid 
shot were on board during^ the fight. The engines 
were the same the vessel had whilst in the United 
States E'avy. They were radically defective; and 
had been condemned by the United States Govern- 
ment. Some changes had been made, notwithstand- 
ing which the engineers reported that they were un- 
reliable. They performed very well during the fight^ 
but afterwards failed several times, once whilst un- 
der fire. 

THE PKEPARATIONS. 

There were many vexatious delays attending the 
fitting and equipment of the ship. Most of them 
arose from the want of skilled labor and lack of 
proper tools and appliances. Transporting the iron 
from Richmond also caused much delay; the rail- 
roads were taxed to supply the army. The crew, 
320 in number, were obtained with great difiiculty^ 
With few exceptions, they were volunteers from the 



OF HAMPTON ROADS. 63 

army ; most of them were landsmen. Tlieir defi- 
ciencies were, as much as possible, overcome by the 
zeal and intelligence ot the officers ; a list of them 
is appended. In the fight one of the nine-inch guns 
was manned by a detachment of the J^or folk United 
Artillery. The vessel was by the Confederates called 
Virginia. She was put in commission during the 
last week of February, but continued crowded with 
mechanics until the eve of the fight. She was badly 
ventilated, very uncomfortable and very unhealthy. 
There was an average of fifty or sixty at the hospital 
in addition to the sick list on board. The flag offi- 
cer, Franklin Buchanan, was detained in Richmond 
in charge of an important bureau, from which he 
was only relieved a fe iv days before the fight. There 
was no captain; the ship was commissioned and 
equipped by the executive and ordnance officer, who 
had reported for duty in I^ovember. He had, by 
special order, selected her battery, and was also made 
responsible for its efficiency. A trial was deter- 
mined upon, although the vessel was in an incomplete 
condition. The lower part of the shield forward 
was only immersed a few inches, instead of two leet 
as was intended, and there was but one inch of iron 
on the hull. The port-shutters, &c., were unfinished. 
The Virginia was un seaworthy; her engines were 
unreliable, and her draft, over twenty-two feet, pre- 



64 TflE NAV^AL BATTLES 

vented her from going to Washington. Her fiekl of 
operation was therefore restricted to the Bay and its 
iniinediate yicinity. There was no regular eoncertecl 
movement with the Army. 

THE ATTACK ON THE CUMBEELAND, 

The frigates Congress and Cvimherland temptingly 
invited an attack. It was fixed for Thursday nighty 
March 6, 1862; the pilots, of whom there were five^ 
having heen previously consulted. The sides were 
slushed, supposing that it would increase the ten- 
dency of the projectiles to glance. All preparations 
were made, including lights at ohstructions. After 
dark the pilots declared that they could not pilot the 
ship during the night.' They had a high sense of 
their responsibility. In justice to them it should be 
stated that it was not easy to pilot a vessel of our 
great draft under favorable circumstances, and that 
the difficulties were much increased by the absence 
of lights, buoys, &c., to which they had been accus- 
tomed. The attack was postponed to " Saturday, 
March 8. The weather was favorable. We left the 
Kavy-yard at 11 a. m., against tlie last half-flood of the 
tide, steamed down the river past our batteries, 
through the obstructions, across Hampton Eoads, 
to the mouth of James river, where off I^Tewports 
JSTews lay at anchor the frigates Cumberland and 



OF HAMPTON ROADS. 65 

Congress, protected by strong batteries and gun- 
boats. The action commenced about 3 p. m., by our 
firing the bow gun at the Cumberland, less than a 
mile distant. A powerful fire was immediately 
concentrated upon us from all the batteries afloat 
and ashore. The frigates Minnesota, Roanoke and 
St. Lawrence, with other vessels, were seen coming 
from Old Point. We fired at the Congress on passing, 
but continued to head directly for the Cumberland, 
which vessel we had determined to run into, and in 
less than fifteen minutes from the firing of the first 
gun we rammed her just forward of the starboard 
fore-chains. There were heavy spars about her 
bows, probably to ward oiF torpedoes, through 
which we had to break before reaching the side of 
the ship. The noise of the crashing timbers was dis- 
tinctly heard above the din of battle. There was no 
sign of the hole above water. It must have been 
large, as the ship soon commenced to careen. The 
shock to us on striking was slight. We immediately 
backed the engines. The blow was not repeated. 
We here lost the prow, and had the stem slightly 
twisted. The Cumberland fought her guns gallantly 
as long as they were above water. She went down 
bravely, with her colors flying. One of her shells 
struck the sills of the bow-port and exploded; the 

fragments killed two and wounded a number. Our 
9 



66 THE NAVAL BATTLES 

after nine-inch gun was loaded and ready for firing'^ 
when its muzzle was struck by a shell, which brote 
it off and fired the gu.n. Another gun also had its 
muzzle shot off; it was broken so short that at each 
subsecpjent discharge it& port was set on fire. The 
damage to the armor was slight. Their fire appeared 
to be aimed at our ports. Had it been concentrated 
at our water-line we would have been seriously hurt, 
if not sunk. Owing to the ebb tide and our great 
draft, we could not close with the Congress without 
first going up the stream and then turning, which 
was a tedious operation, besides subjecting us twice 
to the full fire of the batteries, some of which we 
silenced. 

THE ATTACK ON THE CONGR'ESS. 

We were accompanied from the Yard by the tugs 
Beaufort, Lieutenant-Commander W. H. Parker, 
and Ealeigh, Lieutenant-Commander Wm. Alexan- 
der. As soon as the firing was heard up James 
river, the Patrick Henry, Commander John P, 
Tucker; Jamestown, Lieutenant-Commander J. ^N". 
Barney, and the tug Teaser, Lieutenant-Commander 
W. A. Webb, under command of Captain John E. 
Tucker, stood down the river, joining us about 4 
0^,'lock. All these vessels were gallantly fought and 
handled, and rendered valuable and effective ser- 
vice. The prisoners from the Congress stated that 



OF HAMPTON TIOADS. 67 

when on board that ship it was seen that we were 
standing up the river that three cheers were given 
under the impression that we had quit the fight. 
They were soon undeceived. When they saw us 
heading down the stream, fearing the fate of the 
Cumberland, they slipped their cables, made sail, 
and ran ashore bows on. We took a position off 
her quarter, about two cables' length distant, and 
opened a deliberate fire. Yery few of her guns bore 
on us, and they were soon disabled. The other bat- 
teries continued to play on us, as did the Minnesota, 
then aground about one and one-half miles ofiT. The 
St. Lawrence also opened on us shortly after. There 
was great havoc on board the Congress. She was 
several times on fire. Her gallant Commander, 
Lieutenant Joseph B. Smith, was struck in the 
breast by the fragment of a shell and instantly killed. 
The carnage was frightful. N^othing remained but 
to strike their colors, which they did. They hoisted 
the white flag, half-masted, at the main and at the 
spanker gaflf. The Beaufort and Raleigh were or- 
dered to burn her. They went alongside and re- 
ceived several of her oflicers, and some twenty of her 
men as prisoners. The ofiicers urgently asked per- 
mission to assist their wounded out of the ship. It 
was granted. They did not return. A sharp fire of 
musketry from the shore killed some of the prison- 



68 THE NAVAL BATTLES 

ers and forced the tugs to leave. A boat was sent 
from the Virginia to burn her, covered by the 
Teaser. A fire was opened on them from the shore 
and also from the Congress, with both of her white 
flags flying, wounding Lieutenant Minor and others. 
We replied to this outrage upon the usages of civi- 
lized warfare by reopening on the Congress with 
hot shot and incendiary shell. Her crew escaped by 
boats, as did that of the Cumberland. Canister and 
grape would have prevented it, but in neither case 
was any attempt made to stop them, though it has 
been otherwise stated, possibly from our firing on 
the shore or at the Congress. 

We remained near the Congress to prevent her 
recapture. Had she been retaken it might have been 
said that the flag-ofiScer permitted it, knowing that 
his brother was an* officer of that vessel. 

THE CONGRESS BURNED. 

The Patrick Henry received a shot from the shore 
in one of her boilers, and had to be towed out of 
the fight. She, however, soon returned, and was 
again hotly engaged. A distant and unsatisfactory 
fire was at times had at the Minnesota. The gun- 
boats also engaged her. We fired canister and grape 
occasionally in reply to musketry from the shore, 
which had become annoying. About this time the 
flag-officer was badly wounded by a rifle ball, and 



OF HAMPTON ROADS. 69 

had to be carried below. His bold, daring and in- 
trepid conduct won the admiration of all on board. 
The Executive and Ordnance Officer, Lieutenant 
Catesby Ap-R. Jones, succeeded to the command. 
The action continued until dusk, when we were 
forced to seek an anchorage. The Congress was 
riddled and on fire. A transport steamer was blown 
up. A schooner was sunk, and another captured. 
We had to leave without making a second attack on 
the Minnesota, though we fired at her as we passed 
on the other side of the middle ground, and also at 
the St. Lawrence. The latter frigate fired at us by 
broadsides — not a bad plan for small calibres against 
iron-clads, if concentrated. It was too dark to aim 
well. We anchored off* our batteries at Sewell's 
Point. The squadron followed. The Congress con- 
tinued to burn. "She illuminated the heavens, and 
varied the scene by the firing of her own guns, the 
flight of her balls through the air," until shortly af- 
ter midnight, ''when her magazine exploded, and a 
column of burning matter appeared high in the air, 
to be followed by the stillness of death." (Extract 
from report of General Mansfield, U. S. A.) One 
of the pilots chanced about 11 p. m. to be looking 
in the direction of the Congress, when there passed 
a strange-looking craft, brought out in bold relief 
\\\J^y ^^^^ brilliant light of the burning ship, which he 



70 THE NAVAL BATTLES 

at once proclaimed to be tlie Ericsson. We were, 
therefore, not surprised in the morning to see the 
Monitor at anchor near the Minnesota. The latter 
ship was still agromid. Some delay occurred from 
sending our wounded out of the ship; we had but 
one serviceable boat left. Admiral Buchanan w^as 
landed at Sewell's Point. 

THE MONITOR APPEARS. 

At 8 A. M. we got underway, as did the Patrick 
Henry, Jamestown and Teaser. We stood towards 
the Minnesota and opened fire on her. The pilots 
were to have placed us half mile from her, but we 
were not at any time nearer than a mile. The Monitor 
commenced firing when about a third of a mile dis- 
tant. We soon approached and were often within a 
ship's length ; once while passing we fired a broad- 
side at her only a few yards distant. She and her tur- 
ret appeared to be under, perfect control. Her light 
draft enabled her to move about us at pleasure. 
She once took position for a short time where w^e 
could not bring a gun to bear on her. Another of 
her movements caused us great anxiety; she made 
for our rudder and propeller, both of which could 
have been easily disabled. We could only see her 
guns when they were discharged; immediately after- 
ward the turret revolved rapidly, and the guns were 
not again seen until they were again fired. We 



OF HAMPTON ROADS. 71 

wondered how proper aim could be taken in the 
very short time the guns were in sight. The Vir- 
ginia, however, was a large target, and generally so 
near that the Monitor's shots did not often miss. It 
did not appear to us that our shells had any efiect 
upon the Monitor. We had no solid shot. Mus- 
ketry was fired at the look-out holes. In spite of all 
the cares of our pilots, we ran ashore, where we re- 
mained over fifteen minutes. The Patrick Henry 
and Jamestown, with great risk to themselves, started 
to our assistance. The Monitor and Minnesota were 
in full play on us. A small rifle-gun on board the 
Minnesota, or on the steamer alongside of her, vvas 
fired with remarkable precision. When we saw that 
our fire made no impression on the Monitor, we 
determined to run into her if possible. We found it a 
very difiSculty feat to do. Our great length and 
draft in a comparatively narrow channel, with but 
little water to spare, made us sluggish in our move- 
ment, and hard to steer and turn. When the oppor- 
tunity presented, all steam was put on; there was 
not, however, sufiicient time to gather full headway 
without striking. The blow was given with the 
broad wooden stem, the iron prow having been lost 
the day before. The Monitor received the blow in 
such a manner as to weaken its efiect, and the damage 
to her trifling. Shortly after an alarming leak in 



72 THE NAVAL BATTLES 

the bows was reported. It, however, did not long 
continue. 

Whilst contending with the Monitor we received 
the fire of the Minnesota, which we never failed to 
return whenever our guns could be brought to bear. 
We set her on fire and did her serious injury, though 
much less than we supposed. Generally the distance 
was too great for effective firing. We exploded the 
boiler of a steamer alongside of her. 

END OF THE FIGHT. 

The fight had continued over three hours. To us 
the Monitor appeared unharmed. We were, there- 
fore, surprised to see her run oft" into shoal water, 
where our great draft would not permit us to follow, 
and where our shell could not reach her. The loss 
of her prow and anchor, and consumption of coal, 
water, &c., had lightened us so that the lower part 
of the forward end of the shield was awash. We for 
some time awaited the return of the Monitor to the 
Roads. After consultation it was decided that we 
should proceed to the I^avy-yard, in order that the 
vessel should be brought down in the water and 
completed. The pilots said that if we did not then 
leave that we could not pass the bar until noon 
of the next day. We, therefore, at 12 m., quit the 
Roads and stood for ISTorfolk. Had there been any 
sign of the Monitor's willingness to renew the con- 



OF HAMPTON ROADS. 73 

test, we would have remained to fight her. We left 
her in the shoal water to which she had withdrawn, 
and which she did not leave until after we had 
crossed the bar on our way to ISTorfolk. The official 
report says : " Our loss is two killed and nineteen 
wounded. The stem is twisted and the ship leaks; 
w^e have lost the prow, starboard anchor, and all the 
boats; and the armor is somewhat damaged, the 
steam -pipe and smoke-stack both riddled, and the 
muzzles of two of the guns shot away. It was not 
easy to keep a flag flying; the flag-stafls were re- 
peatedly shot away; the colors were hoisted to the 
smoke-stack, and several times cut down from it." 
None were killed or wounded in the tight with the 
Monitor. The only damage she did was to the 
armor. She fired forty-one shots. We were able to 
receive most of them obliquely. The eflect of the 
shot striking obliquely on the shield was to break 
all the iron, and sometimes to displace several feet 
of the outside course; the wooden backing would 
not be broken through. When a shot struck directly 
at right angles, the wood would also be broken 
through, but not displaced. Generally the shot were 
much scattered; in three instances two or more 
struck the same place, in each case causing more 
of the iron to be displaced and the wood to bulge 

inside. A few struck near the water-line. The 
10 



74 THE NAVAL BATTLES 

shield was never pierced, though it was evident 
that two shots striking in the same place would have 
made a large hole through armor, wooden backing 
and everything. The ship was docked; a prow of 
steel and wrought iron put on, and a course of two- 
inch iron on the hull below the roof extending in 
length 180 feet. "Want of time and material pre" 
vented its completion. The damage to the armor 
was repaired; wrought-iron port-shutters were fitted, 
&c. The rifle guns were supplied with bolts of 
wrought or chilled iron. The ship was brought a 
foot deeper in the water, making her draft, twenty- 
three feet. 

CHALLENGES NOT ACCEPTED. 

Commodore Josiah Tatnall relieved Admiral Buch- 
anan in command. On the 11th of April he took 
the Virginia down to Hampton Roads, expecting to 
have a desperate encounter with the Monitor. 
Greatl}^ to our surprise, the Monitor refused to fight 
us. She closely hugged the shore under the guns of 
the Fort, with her steam up. Hoping to provoke 
her to come out, the Jamestown'^ was sent in and 
captured several prizes, but the Monitor would not 
budge. It was proposed to take the vessel to York 



♦French ^nd English men-of-war were present. The latter cheered our gun- 
boat as she passed with the prizes. 



OF HAMPTON ROADS. 75 

river; but it was decided in Richmond that she 
should remain near N'orfolk for its protection. Com- 
modore Tatnall commanded the Virginia forty-five 
days, of which time there were only thirteen days 
that she was not in dock or in the hands of the 
i^avy-yard. Yet he succeeded in impressing the 
enemy that we were ready for active service. It 
was evident that the enemy very much overrated* 
our power and efficiency. The South also had the 
same exaggerated idea of the vesseL On the 8th of 
May a squadron, including the Monitor, bombarded 
our battery at Sewell's Point. We immediately left 
the Yard for the Roads. As we drew near the 
Monitor and her consorts ceased bombarding and 
retreated under the guns of the forts, keeping beyond 
the range of our guns. Men-of-war from below the 
forts, and vessels expressly fitted for running us down, 
joined the other vessels between the forts. It looked 
as if the fleet was about to make a fierce onslaught 
upon us. But we were again to be disappointed. 
The Monitor and other vessels did not venture to 
meet us, although we advance until the projectiles 
from the Rip-Raps fell more than a half a mile be- 
yond us. Our object, however, was accomplished; 
we had put an end to the bombardment, and we 
returned to oar buoy. 

*Some of the Northern papers estimated her to be equivalent to any Army- 
Corps. 



76 THE NAVAL BATTLES 

THE VIRGINIA DESTEOYED. 

Norfolk was evacuated on the 10th of May, 1862, 
In order that the ship might be carried up the James 
river we commenced to hghten her, hut ceased on 
the pilots saying they coukl not take her up. Her 
shield was then out of water ; we were not in fight- 
ing condition. We, therefore, ran her ashore in 
the bight of Craney Island, landed the crew and set 
the vessel on fire. The magazine exploded about 
4:30 on the morning of the 11th of May, 1862. The 
crew arrived at Drury's Bluflf the next day, and as- 
sisted in defeating the Monitor, Galena, and other 
vessels on the 15th of May. Commodore Tatnall 
was tried by court-martial for destroying the Vir- 
ginia, and was honorably acquitted of all the charges. 
The Court stated the facts and their motives for 
acquitting him. Some of them are as follows: 
''That after the evacuation of I^orfolk, Westover, 
on James river, became the most suitable position 
for her to occupy; that while in the act of lighten- 
ing her, for the purpose of taking her up to that 
point, the pilots for the first time declared their ina- 
bility to take her up. * * That when lightened 
she w^as made vulnerable to the attacks of the en- 
emy. * * * The only alternative, in the opin- 
ion of the Court was to abandon and burn the ship 



OF HAMPTON ROADS. 77 

then and there, which, in the judgment of the Court, 
was deliberately and wisel}- done. 

OFFICERS OF THE VIRGINIA. 

Flag Officer, Franldin Buchanan ; Lieutenants — 
Catesby Ap-R. Jones, Executive and Ordnance Offi- 
cer; Charles C. Simms, R. D. Minor (flag). Hunter 
Davidson, J. Taylor Wood, J. R. Eggleston, Walter 
Butt; Midshipmen — Foute, Marmaduke, Littlepage, 
Craig, Long and Rootes; Paymaster, James Sem- 
ple; Surgeon, Dinwiddle Phillips; Assistant Sur- 
geon, Algernon S. Garnett; Captain of Marines, 
Reuben Thom; Engineers, H. A. Ramsay, Acting- 
Chief; Assistants, Tynan, Campbell, Herring, Jack, 
and White; Boatswain, Hasker; Gunner, Oliver; 
Carpenter, Lindsey ; Clerk, Arthur Sinclair, Jr. ; 
Volunteer Aid, Lieutenant Douglas Forest, C.S.A. ; 
Captain Kevil, commanding detachment of E'orfolk 
United Artillery; Signal Corps, Sergeant Tabb. 




y8 travelers' guide. 

"WVvc^ve. \o Go aw^ ^'V^Xxa^. \o Sec, 



.'i^fflOR the information of tourists and others who 
^gi may visit Okl Point Comfort, we append the 
following as being places worthy of a visit, viz : 

1st. One will find a visit to the N'ational Soldiers' 
Home both pleasant and agreeable. This institution 
is presided over by Captain P. T. Woodiin as 
Governor. It is a Home for disabled soldiers, and 
is supported by the Government. 

2d. The Hampton Normal School is a place of 
rare interest. The School is presided over by Gen- 
eral S. C. Armstrong as principal, and is supported 
by general contributions and $10,000 annually from 
the State of Virginia. 

3d Is the i^ational Cemetery. This place is about 
thirty minutes ride from the Point, and contains the 
remains of a large number of Union soldiers who 
died during the war. 

4th Is the ancient town of Hampton, where can 
be seen the old St. John's Church, built in 1654, and 
said to be the oldest church in Virginia. 

5th Is the Fort itself, with its many matters of 
interest. One must personall}^ inspect this place in 
order to learn more about it than has been given in 
the preceding pages. 



TRAVELERS GUIDE. 



79 






^0 those into whose hands this little book from 
time to time may fall, and especially to those 
who are bent on travel, either for pleasure or busi- 
ness, we beg to commend the routes, (be they either 
by land or sea) of the different lines whose adver- 
tisements constitute an important part of this work. 
Tourists who patronize them are assured of safety, 
dispatch and comfort, besides each and all of the 
lines above referred to pass through a section of 
country surpassingly grand. The days and hours 
of departure, as named in the advertisements, are 
correct in every particular, and travelers can rely 
upon the information here given. 

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Company are 
using the greatest activity in pushing its improve- 
ments at its deep water terminus at JN'ewports Xews, 
and in a few months will have completed the same. 
When this is done one can make a swift and sure 
trip, at a moderate cost, to the great West through 
a country picturesque and exceedingly beautiful. 



80 ' ADVERTISEMENTS. 

FOR BOSTON 

PROVIDENCE AND LIVERPOOL. 

Tlie Only Eirect Line to Boston and Providence. 

Spring;' and Slimmer -A-i^rang-ement. 

For Boston, THE MERCHANTS' AND MINERS' TRANSPORTATION 
COMPANY are now running their new and splendid first-class Steamships 
DECATUR H. jMILLER. Captain S. Howes, 

JOHNS HOPKINS. Captain W. A. Hai.lett, 

WILLIAM CRANE, Captain F. M. Howes, 

GEORGE APPOLD, Captain W. Loveland, 

WILLIAM LAWRENCE, Captain J. S. March, Jr. 

LEAVING NORFOLK 

EffiRI IBESDM k MM i 5 P. 1. 

THE REGULARITY AND SAFETY OF THESE STEAMSHIPS CANNOT 
BE SURPASSED. 

FOJEt PI^OVlI>E]NrOE. 

A STEAMER LEAVES NOKFOLK FOR PROVIDENCE 

Iw] Mmk] k SatiirJaj at 3 P. I. 

Freight not an-iving here in time for shipment to Boston by the 
direct hne will be forwarded via Providence at same rates. 

FOR LIVERPOOL. 

BY THE CUNARD, WARREN, LEYLAND AND ALLAN LINES 
FROM BOSTON EACH WEEK. 

For fui'ther information ai3ply to 

V. D. GRONER, Agent. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



81 



nil? . „ 

AND POINTS NORTH AND WEST. 



i 



THE INLAND AND SEABOARD COASTING COMPANY 

Will, on and after March 10th, 1881, run their Superior Iron Steamer, 

"LADY OF THE LAKE," 

From Norfolk, Ya., Leaving the Boston Steamer's Wliarf on 

TUESDAY, THURSDAY AND SATURDAY, AT 4 O'CLOCK P. M., 

For above points, connecting with Trains for Baltimore, Philadelphia. New 
York and Virginia Midland Railroad for VIRGINIA SPRINGS. 
* Returning, will leave WASHINGTON 

MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS AT 5 O'CLOCK P. M. 

steamer stops at OLD POINT each way. 

^^Tickets Sold, State-rooms Reserved, and Orders for Baggage received hj 

Under Atlantic Hotel. 



W. T. WALKE, Esq., 
V. 



I>. GtlOlVJER, Agent. 



THOS. W. GODWIN & CO.. 

#»1 




MANUFACTUKE POE TABLE, STATIONARY AND MARINE 
ENGINES AND LOCOMOTIVES. 



^^SPECIALTY OF AGRICULTURAL 
List of* I*reiiiixini.s, 
11 



ENGINES..^ 



82 ADVERTISEMENTS. 

THE OLD RELIABLE ! 



11 







FAST FREIGHT LINE 

— FKOM— 

Boston, ProYidence, New Yorl[, PMlaflelpMa & Baltimore, 

—AND FKOM— 

Norfolk, Petersburg, Richmond and Lyni^liburg, 

TO ALL POINTS 

Through Rates Given and Quick Time Made. All Claims 
for Losses, Damagres or Overcharges promptly adjusted. 

THIS LINE IS COMPOSED OF 
Merchants' & Miners' Transportation Co., from Providence ; Old Dominion 
Steamship Co., from New York; Phi). Wilmington & Baltimore R.R., and 
Clyde Line Steamers, from Philadelphia ; Baltimore Steam Packet Co., from 
Baltimore ; Norfolk anfl Western (A. M. & O. R.R.); East. Tenn. Virginia aifd 
Georgia R. R.; Memphis and Charleston R.R.; Nashville, Chat, and St. Louis 
RR ; Western & Atlantic R.R.; Selma, Rome & Dalton R.R.; Alabama Cen- 
tral R.R.; Vicksburg & Meridian R.R. ; Mobile & Ohio R.R.; New Oileans, St. 
Louis & Chicago R.R., and their connections. 

Have Your Goods Marlted : YA. & TENN. AIR LINE. 

~\ C. p. GAITHER, - - 2iO Washington Street, Boston. 
E.H.ROCKWELL, - - - India Point, Providence. 
THOS. PINCKNEY, General Agent, 303 Broadway, N. Y. 
JOHN S. WILSON, 44 South Fifth Street, Philadelphia. 
W. P. CLYDE & CO., - 12 South Wharves. Philadelphia, 
W. H. FITZGERALD, 157 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore. 

W. T PAYNE, Agent Claims and Expenses, Norfolk, Ya. 



AGEl^TS 



Before Purchasing Tickets EUeiolure, call at the 
Branch Ticket Cilice of the Norfolk and Western Railroad, 

A. 31. <fe O.) 
[Hantos* Building:, nviain l^itreet,] 

Tickets on sale to all Local Stations. Through Tickets to points West, 
North-west, South, South-west, and Texas Points. Baggage checked to desti- 
nation. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 83 



.'S 



11 

Fleet of Magnificent Iron Steamships 

FORMS A MOST AT TH A CTIVE ROUTE TO 

PMTMMBBWmB mmi MMMMQMM, 

And with their Eail Connections, the Easiest and Mcst PJeasant Route to the 

WATE1[1NG-PL>CES & MINERAL SPRIfS 

Of the South and West, 

And is confidently recmnmended to the Tourist and Invalid for its 
Beauties and Absence of Fatiguing Incidents. 



STEAMERS LEAVE NEW YORK 

FROM PIER 37, NORTH RIVER, 

EVEI^Y TUESDAY, THUI[SDAY AND S/TURD^Y AT 3 P, M, 

Reaching Norfolk 24 hours later, in tirae to connect with the Evening 
Steamer for 

OLD POI NT O OMFORT. 

The trip of these Steamers affords a Chaiming Excureion, the round trip to 
Richmond occupying but FIVE DAYS. If the ocean trip only is desired, the 
northern-bound t'teamer may be intercepted at Norfolk on day of arrival, then 
returning to New Y^ork in TWO DAYS, or leaving the ship at Norfolk, the 
three days may be spent at Old Point, a Debghtful Watenng-Place, returning 
to Norfolk in time to rejuin the ship. 

COMMUNICATION SEVERAL TIMES EACH DAY^ BY" THE COMPANY^S 
AND OTHER STEAMERS BETWEEN NORFOLK AND OLD POINT. 



TnnnriPTT Trni/PTO (EXCEPT LIMITED FORMS) PRIY^ILEGE THE 

innUubn llbKLlo holder to stop over at Norfolk. 
RAfES LOW. BACCACE CHECKED THROUGH. 



^"TICKETS on Sale at all Principal Offices and Hotels, ^orth and South. 



General Offices of the Company, 197 Greenwich St., N. Y. 

WT. H. STANFORD, Seeretay. 



84 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



THE BAT LINE 



-FOR- 



Mmmmmm§ MmwimE 



. -AND THE- 

^ 




^^SMM 


[Hi 


^w^- ■ 




The Say Line com})rises the Xew and Elegant Steamers 

"VIRGINIA,'' "CAROLINA,'' AND "FLORIDA." 

All the Comforts and Luxuries of a First-cla'-s Hotel are afforded the Traveler. 
Spacious and Elegant Saloons and State-rooms Furnished with an Especial 
View to Comfort. Unsurpassed Cuisine, wliicn is made a Specialty with this 
Line. Elegant Service and Courteous Attention. The Saloons and State-rooms 
are Heated with Steam and kept at a Pleasant and Comfortable Temperature. 



^r°PLEASE NOTE THE CONVENIENT HOURS OF DEPARTURE :. 

Leave New York, via Pennsylvania R.R. ----- 3; 
" Philadelphia via Philadelphia, Wilm'ngton & Baltimore R.R. 5: 
" Baltimore from Canton Wharf on arrival of New York train 8: 

Steamers leave Union Dock for Canton Wharf - - - - 7; 
NoTE.--The I P. JVI- TRAIN FROM NEW YORK connects also 

Bay Line Steamers at Baltimore. 

Leave Portsmouth and Norfolk, - - - - - - - 5: 

Old Point Comfort, ---------7: 

Arrive Baltimore, - - ____----7 

" Philadelphia, _________ H: 

" New Yorlc, - - ___-_---i 



:40 P. 


M. 


:.S0 P. 


^\. 


:45 P. 


M. 


:00 P. 


M. 


with the 


:80 P. 


M. 


:no P. 


M. 


:80 P. 


M. 


00 A. 


M. 


:00 P. 


M. 



At Old Point Comfort is Located 

A Delightful Resort at all Seasons of the Tear. 



«S-FOR TICKETS ^Tcomp^nV^^oW^L? 

No. 157 West Baltimore St., 

OR ON BOARD OF STEAMERS. 



D. J. HILL, Sup't. 



EMMET BROWN, GenH Tk'tAg't. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



85 



J 



ENTRA 




JL K±}± 

RAILROAD 

—FOR THE— 



WHITE k ^kE^h MOUNTjlIllS, 

Lake George, Lake Champlain, Adirondack Mountains, 

IMCOUIVT JM:^\.iV«i^I]li:LD (Hto>ve, Vt.), 
Highgate, Alliiigli and Sheldon Springs. 

Montreal, Thousand Islands, (Juehec, 

Rapids of the St. Lawrence, 
BURLINGTON (on Lake Champlain) ST. ALBAN'S, 

AND ALL SUMMER RESORTS OP 

i^EW H/MPSHiRE, Vermont, Noi|thbrn t(EW Yoi^k & C/nad/, 
PULLMAN or f A&NE R CARS on all EXPRESS TRAINS. 

New Combinations of Routes Tj^^^^T3 -< 0-< 
And Greatly Reduced Rates JO VJ' XAj XOOi* 

This Company issues annually a book entitled the "SUMMER EXCUR- 
SIONIST," Handsomely Illustrated, giving a List of Routes and Rates for Ex- 
cursion Tickets, also a full description of all Routes and Summer Resorts, 
which is now ready for distribution, and can be obtained FREE, on app ication 
in person or by letter, at Ticket Offices in Boston, New York, Brooklyn. Wil- 
liamsburg, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, and Principal Ticket 
Offices of Pennsylvania and North Pennsylvania Railroads, or of W. F. 
SMITH, General Passenger Agent,. St. Alban's, Vermont. 

271 Broadwcuj, New York, E. R. Copjnns, Agent 
322 Washington St, Boston, T. Edward Bond, Agent 
136 St James St, 3Ionireal, A. C. Stonegrave, Agent 

J. W. HOBART, Gen'l Superintendent, 

W. F. SMITH, Gen'l Passenger A^ent, 

1). McKENZIE, Assistant Glen'l Passenger Agent. 



86 ADVERTISEMENTS. 

ELIZABETH GUY AND NOREOLK 

Norfolk Harbor and Sounds of ISoi-th Carolina 
Linked by Rail. 



RAPID, CERTAW AND SAFE TRANSPORTATION 



Twelve to TwEiiTY-FouR Hours Saved 

Between Eastern North Carolina and the Northern and 
Eastern States. 



CONNECTIONS AT NOKFOLK WITH STEAMERS FOe 

Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia, 
Boston and Washington. 

At Southern Terminus with Steam Lines for Newbeme, Washing- 
ton Manteo, Cohimbia, Plymouth, JamesviUe, WiUiamston, 
and other points on Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds, 
and Neuse, Pamlico, Tar, Alligator, Koanoke 
and Chowan Elvers. 



The ELIZABETH CITY AND NORFOLK EAILROAD will be 
opened for traffic by or before June 1st, 1881. Its physical charac- 
teristics, natural and constnicted terminal facilities, and excellent 
equipment, will ensure quick, safe and cheap transportation. 

M. K. KING, General Manager. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 87 






[U. 



CHAXTGE OF SCHEDULE. 



ON AN]) AFTER 

Wednesday, Februray 23d, 

TRAINS WILL RUN AS FOLLOWS : 

LEAVE PORTSMOUTH DAILY, EXCEPT 

SUNDAYS, 

Mail Train at 9:15 A. M. 

Accommodation Train at 2:00 P. M. 

ARPtlVE m PORTSMOUTH DAILY, EXCEPT 

SU:^DAYS, 

Mail Train at , 5:15 P. M. 

Accommodation Train 11:20 P. M. 

Mail Train connects at Weldon with the Mail Trains of the Wil- 
mington & Weldon, and Raleigh and Gaston Railroads. 

And on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at Frankhn with 
steamer for Edenton, Plymouth, and Landings on Blackwater and 
Chowan Rivers, and for Washington and Stations on Jamesville and 
Washington Railroad. 

Through Tickets on sale to Tarboro, Goldsboro, Newbeme, Wil- 
mington, Columbia, Augusta, Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville, 
Fernandma, and aU points in Florida ; Raleigh, Hamlet, Charlotte, 
Statesville, Marion, Hickory, Old Fort, AshviUe, Warm Springs, 
Atlanta, Macon, Montgomery, Columbia, Mobile, Kew Orleans, and 
aU points in South and Southwest. 

Freights received daily, except Sundays, from 8 a. m. to 4 p. m. 

E. GJ^, GMIIO, 

SupeHntendent of Tran^pcn'tation. 
Tickets sold at office, under Atlantic Hotel Norfolk, Va. , by W. 
T. Walke, Agent. 



88 ADVERTISEMENTS. 

<»» THE GRAND PRIZE ■»» 

AT PAPJS UNIVEESAL EXHIBITION, 
TWO 

'-" HIGHEST PREMIUMS ■» ° 

AT CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION, 

AWABDED TO 

BERGNER& ENGEL, 

BEEWERS OF LAGER BEER 

FOR DOMESTIC AND EXPORT TRADE, IN BARRELS AND 
BOTTLES. 

Brewery, 32(1 aai ThomBSflii Streets, PHILADELPHIA. 

DISTRIBUTING DEPOTS, 

AT IsTORFOLK AND EICHMOKD, YA. 



Dismal Swamp Canal Co. 

(Re-organized December tst, 1880J 

Connecting the Waters of Chesapeake Bay with Albemarle 
and Pamlico Sounds, N. C. 

The recent extensive improvements by dredging and otherwise, se- 
curing a uniform depth of water throughout, recommend this 
route as a desirable medium of transportation between 
the waters of Virginia and North Carohna. 

JOHN B. WHITEHEAD Peesident. 

Capt. henry ROBERTS Superintendent 

S. W. GARY Collector 

H. C. WHITEHEAD Secretary and Treasurer 

i>rmECToiis. 

W. H. C. ELLIS, C. W. NEWTON, JAMES Y. LEIGH, 

CICERO BURRUSS. 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 



89 




11 ACIiES OF GHOUIiD, 

WITH ONE MILE OF WATER FRONT, 

O^ HAMPTOK ROADS, 



This property is suitable for Cottages, Summer Eesidences, and 
for persons desirous of escaping the rigors of the Northern "Winters ; 
is in sight of, and only ten minutes walk from, the celebrated 
HyGEiA Hotel, at Fortress Monroe, Virginia, and ahnost adjacent 
to the United States Soldiers' Home and Normal School. 

The broad Atlantic is in full view, and Hampton Roads, Fortress 
Monroe, the Rip Raps, Sewell's Point, Elizabeth and James Rivers, 
and Newport News, form a marine picture not equalled elsewhere on 
the Atlantic Coast. 

At Newport News wharves are now being erected for the terminus 
of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, which, passing through the 
grand mountains of Virginia, will afford a ready means of access to 
ail the celebrated Springs. 

The property offered comprises, in fact, the only water front for 
sale in a long distance, and Old Point being destined to become the 
half-way stopping place for all persons going to ai7d returning from 
Florida, it will not be long before every foot of available ground at 
the Point will be required for the erection of large sea -side hotels. 
It is expected that the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad will run its 
trains to Old Point wharf for the accommodation of the flood of 
travel that will arise on its completion through the mountains of 
Virginia, thus making through connections with the Great West. 

For further particulars, apply to 

THOMAS TABB. 
Attorney-at-Law, Hampton, Ya. 

12 



90 ADVERTISEMENTS. 

INLAND NAVICATEON 



TI16 ilbark and Mmh Canal! 



I 



TOGETHER WITH THE 



Chesapeake & Delaware Canal and Delaware and 
Raritan Canal, 

FORM THE GREAT INLAKD NAVIG -TION FROM 

NEW YORK, PHILADELPHIA AND BALTIMORE 

TO NORTH CAROLINA AND THE SOUTH, 

By Canals and Inland Navigation for Steamboats, Sailing Vessels, Rafts, &c. 

Avoiding the Dangers of Hatteras and the Coast of North Carolina, 

Saving Time and Insuracce. 

DIMENSIONS OF CANALS AND LOCKS: 



CANALS. 


MILES. 




LOCKS. 








Length. 


Width. 


Depth 






Feet. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal . . 


14 


220 


40 




Chesapeake and Delaware Canal . . 


14 


220 


24 


9 


Delaware and Raritan Canal 


. 43 


220 


24 




Erie, of New York 


. 345 


110 • 


18 


7 



{^"Light-draft steamers bound to Charleston. Savannah. Florida, and the 
West Indies take this route. 

Steam tug-boats leave Norfolk, towing sail vessels, barges, rafts, &c., to and 
from North Carolina to Baltimore. Philadelphia and New York. 

Freight steamers leave Norfolk for the following places : Edenton, Elizabeth 
City, Hertford, Pljinouth, Jamesville, Williamston, Hamilton, Hill's Ferry, 
Palmyra, Scotland Neck, Halifax, Weldon, Colimibia. Fair Field, Windsor, 
Winton, Gatesville, Murfreesboro, Franklin, Currituck, Coinjock, Roanoke. 
I.-land, Washington, Greenville, Tarboro, Indiantown, Bay River & Newberne. 

^P"For rates of tolls, towing, maps and charts, &c., apply to 

H. V. LESLIE, Treasurer C. & D. Canal Co., 

528 Walnut Street, PhUadelphia. 

M. COUKTRIGHT, Esq., 

No. 55 Broadway, Koom 45 Coal and 
Iron Exchange, New York. 

Or to MARSHALL PARKS, 

President Albemarle and Chesaiaeake Canal Co. , Norfolk, Va- 



ADVERTISEMENTS. 91 

ESTABLISHED 1856. 



JAMES REID & CO., 

Norfolk Steam Bakery 

Office, 87 Main street, ■ - NORFOLK, YA. 



1©^^$' 



«J' 




^■^*-iK^ 



THE NORFOLK LANDMARK^ 

JAS. BARRON HOPE & CO., Proprietors, 

NOKFOLK, VIKGINIA. 



©AII.Y, Per Amiiim, $5.00 ; Six Moiitlis, $3.00 ; ^VEEKIiT, 
Pel' Aiiuiiiu, $1.00. Invariably in advance. 



H 33 83 '^ 















^-./ 





















^P^ DEC 82 



N. MANCHESTER, 
INDIANA 46962 



-J ' ^ * -JO • ] 



4 o^ 



^°-nK 



